Malaysia's King volunteers to take 10% pay cut

Standing in solidarity.

Sulaiman Daud | June 11, 2018, 08:45 PM

Under Prime Minister Mohamad's second stint in power, certain cost-cutting measures have come into effect.

First, his Ministers agreed to a 10 per cent cut in their salaries.

He also said that he would scrap the High Speed Rail project with Singapore, citing high costs.

Now the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's monarch and Head of State, has pitched in to do his bit as well.

Pay cut for the King

On June 11, the Comptroller of the Royal Household Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz issued a statement regarding the Agong's decision:

"His Majesty wishes to join the people in doing his duty by decreeing that he too will take a 10% salary and emoluments cut throughout his reign, which ends in 2021."

The pay cut will last until the end of his reign in a "show of solidarity" with the people of Malaysia.

Wan Ahmad added that the Agong was "touched and grateful" to the Malaysians who have already volunteered to contribute to the Tabung Harapan Malaysia (Malaysia's Fund for Hope).

[related_story]

Malaysians donate

This is a special fund set up by the Pakatan Harapan coalition government to help pay off Malaysia's estimated RM1 trillion (S$336.51 billion) debt.

When it was first set up, Malaysians donated nearly RM7 million (about S$2.3 million) in just 24 hours.

In another cost-cutting measure, there also won't be an open house at the Istana Negara for Hari Raya this year. Said Wan Ahmad in the statement:

"In conjunction with Hari Raya, His Majesty will use the funds allocated for the open house at the Palace to assist the less fortunate."

Police report lodged against fake claims of RM256.9 million expenditure

Last week, a screenshot of an Excel sheet was circulating on WhatsApp claiming that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong spent RM256.9 million (S$85 million) over a period of 16 months for various expenses including private overseas trips.

The New Straits Times has reported that the Malaysian "police have opened an investigation paper into veteran journalist Datuk A. Kadir Jasin." The former New Straits Times editor wrote in a blog post claiming that the Malaysian federal government allocated RM256.9 million for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s  “accommodation, residence and palace, personal items, aircraft and transportation, training and escort equipment, clothing and ceremonial items, gifts and souvenirs, overseas visits and salaries of palace staff.”

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Top image from Kelantan's Chief Minister Communications Unit.