SHAH ALAM, 3 Dec: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) Assemblymen gave different opinions regarding the Selangor government’s decision to not increase office management provisions during the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) session yesterday.

Gan Pei Nei (PKR-Rawang) said that she and the Selangor Backbenchers Club (BBC) will continue to bring up this motion next year as there are more programmes that will be carried out in constituencies.

She said that she expects the working capacity of staff at constituencies will increase, thus increasing office management costs looking at the Selangor Budget 2015.

“So, we are asking for an increase in provisions so that there is staff with appropriate qualifications and work capacity to offer the best services to the people.

“We need more staff to carry out state government programmes,” she told Selangor Kini.

She said that the state government may consider increasing a little more provisions for staff welfare and office management if RM30,000 is too much.

She said that most Assemblymen have to use their own funds to supplement the existing provisions for office affairs.

“The State Government Executive Council (MMKN) can increase funds for area management for good services,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman Abdul Razak (BN-Permatang),said that elected representatives from the opposition do not receive this provisions, instead they only receive allowance and salaries as Assemblymen.

He said that the state government should be fair to all elected representatives because Barisan Nasional (BN) Assemblymen must also provide the best service to the people.

“We too should be given provisions because this is a matter of office management and not in in interest of Assemblymen, but management. This is not like the RM200,000 issue, but a matter of convenience,,” he said.

He is also of the opinion that the increased applied by PR Assemblymen of RM30,000 is also too high and involves large finances.

“It may not be increased because the state government has certain enactments or barriers involving finances.

“But to raise (the amount) is quite large, in the current environment it may be wise, but not an increase of up to 300 percent,” he said.

Yesterday, the Selangor government announced that they do not intend to increase office management provisions for Assemblymen’s office from RM10,000 to RM30,000 a year.

The Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali, said that the decision of the Exco meeting dated September 4 2013, to approve the payment of RM10,000 a month should be paid directly through the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) to adjust the salary and Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution payments to three administrative assistants, including utility payments.

In addition, he said that the allocation of RM20,000 for office renovations is given every five years with the Assemblymen’s provisions.

NS