MGG Pillai Commentary View

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What official expenses do BN cabinet ministers and MPs claim?

THE NATIONAL FRONT (BN) IS CAUGHT in a bind. The Opposition raises issues it cannot rebut. It is often caught out when challenged. More often than not, it decides discretion is the better part of valour. Its MPs refuse to be drawn into a political fist fight. None of this is reported in the BN-controlled media, which is all the mainstream, but these issues are transferred to the public domain by the Opposition parties. When it does engage with the Opposition, it is often caught short. When the Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS) MP. Mr Husam Musa, wrote a potentially damaging book about the two casinos in Pahang, and how Malaysia is now a "darul kasino", it caused so much political damage in Pahang and elsewhere, that the Prime Minister. Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, invited him for tea. But before that, an UMNO leader asked Mr Husam to apologise for what he did. He was denied his prime ministerial tea. The political fallout from that unwise decision to grant a casino to a Prime Ministerial crony, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, at the Bukit Tinggi resort boomeranged on the BN and Dr Mahathir when Tan Sri Vincent began his gambling operations, and advertised it worldwide. The licence had to be cancelled, causing this so-called international business man and a few UMNO cronies nearly RM800 million. It turns out that the Pahang state government and a minister in the Prime Minister's Department also benefitted. As if this is not bad enough, the official Malaysian Airline System sponsors horseracing in Australia.

BN though it had a winner when Mr Husam asked how many MPs, in Government and Opposition, had claimed official expenses of more than RM10,000 a month. The parliamentary secretary in the Prime Minister's Department, Dato' Noh Omar, said one PAS MP, Mr Mohamed Apandi Mohamed, had claimed RM132,335 in 2003 and RM78,356 for the first six months of 2003 - about RM1,000 and RM2,000 a month more than the RM10,000 base figure in the two years. Dato' Noh did not suggest this was wrong. The claims were forwarded, as required, to Parliament, which approved and paid them. If it was excessive or wrongly filed, it would have been rejected and a public campaign begun forthwith. This did not happen. It suggests that Parliament is profligate to the point that BN MPs would happily allow MPs such generous expenses. If they are there, how can you blame an MP for not claiming them. The average claim, Dato' Noh said, was RM5,000 a month. He now wants to report Mr Mohamed Apandi to that toothless wonder, the Anti-Corruption Agency, for what he regards a false claim. As usual, he bolts the barn door after the horses have fled.

In the past, there was rigorous investigation of MPs, and ministerial, expense claims, and when it could not be justified, it was sent to the Prime Minister's Department for a decision. That is not so any more. Bills are taken at face value, and paid. So it is with surprise that the Parliament Secretary, Dato' Mohamed Salleh Hassan, who should have stopped the claims if he thought them too high, jumps into the fray. He had no business coming into the public fray but he did. He says Mr Mohamed Apandi's claims were more than those from BN MPs representing rural MPs in Sabah and Sarawak, who claim an average of RM10,000 a month. and "relatively excessive". What did he do about this "waste"? He paid it. Why? Then he throws a red herring. Parliament only reimbursed claims from 82 BN and 41 Opposition. Those in the government - 69 who are cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries - are paid by their respective ministries. About 40 MPs do not claim for reasons unknown. In addition to these expenses, MPs are paid RM8.326 and Senators RM5,648 a month respectively. The ACA, not to be outdone, promptly announced an investigation of excess claims, based on newspaper reports, of course.

As usual, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Has Parliament ever been told the total cost to the Treasury of the Prime Minister's frequent forays overseas? He seems to spend more time out of the country than in. A large staff accompanies him. If it is not the RM200 million Global Express jet aircraft, expanded to fly non-stop to London and with accoutrements specially ordered that billionaires can only drool at, then it is specially chartered MAS aircraft. In country, he flies regularly to Langkawi for no reason than that it is there. [Curiously, he has never been known to visit a FELDA scheme or an agricultural project in the peninsular or Sabah and Sarawak.] Add to this the running cost, and other incidentals. And the conservatrive estimate of him costing the Treasury a billion ringgit since he took office in 1981 is not excessive. During these trips abroad, he is entited to a daily living allowance of about RM4,000 a day, in addition to other expenses. The works minister, Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, is more often than not in India or Australia on allegedly government business. The other BN leaders, the recently-forced-out MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, the Gerakan President, Dato' Seri Lim Kheng Yaik, and others stake claims as high. One deputy minister held a dinner in Cameron Highlands at government expense to lobby for the new parliamentary constituency seat there. We should be told the expenses cabinet ministers and those in the government run up. Would the ACA dare investigate that?

The BN made a big mistake in opening a can of worms. It is reluctant to release its ministerial profligacies. Dr Mahathir set a bad example. The late Tun Abdul Razak, as Prime Minister, would insist that his foreign trips did not last more than ten days; he preferred seven but he would often return in five. Before he returned, he would spend his money to buy gifts for those in his office. Often, he would return to the Treasury the money he did no spend. But then he had a high sense of public duty. Tun Hussein would pay back to the Treasury for his private entertainment at Seri Taman, his official residence. Tengku Abdul Rahman's penny-pinching at official expenses is well-known. Dr Mahathir set a record for profligate behaviour. If he does it, why not those below him. They did not disappoint him and embraced this leadership by example. Profligacy is endemic under the Mahathir governance. The Subang Airport had a RM100 million facelift shortly before the contract to build Kuala Lumpur International Airport for several billions were given. Now I understand Parliament House had a RM50 million refit just as plans are readied for a new Parliament House in Putra Jaya. Because most of these expenses are shrouded in darkest secrecy, they are often known only after the fact. Parliament is often not consulted. Today the BN is at the deep end. But profligacy is only one facet of it losing control. For the first time in living memory, the BN is caught in its own trap. It does not know how to come out of it. It wanted general elections in Sabah first, but it then found Sabah BN and Sabah UMNO are so hopelessly divided that it saw defeat staring at its face. Instead of taking a hard look at its position, BN hopes it could push its way through victory. It could. But for how long?

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my