No PM salary and other off-manifesto Harapan promises

No PM salary and other off-manifesto Harapan promises


Having finally been sworn in as prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim must now fulfil the promises he made while campaigning during the general election.

The most prominent of those is his promise not to take a single sen from his salary as prime minister if he makes it to Putrajaya.

He also vowed to slash minister salaries and the size of cabinet.

“If appointed, this prime minister does not want to bring the culture of greed. Therefore, I will cut the salary of the prime minister.

“The number of ministers that is at 70 now will also be cut by half, along with their salary - also by half.

“If you want a minister’s salary, you must accept my terms. If not, forget it,” he said during his “grand finale” in Perak on Nov 18.

On a more local level, the Tambun MP-elect had promised voters there he would prioritise finding a resolution to agriculture land issues in the constituencies.

Anwar was not the only Harapan leader making off-manifesto promises.


MP vows

In Sungai Buloh, PKR’s R Ramanan promised to donate his entire MP salary to places of worship.

In Batu, PKR’s P Prabakaran promised free buses for “the whole of Kuala Lumpur”, which is beyond the current GoKL bus provided by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

In Lembah Pantai, PKR’s Fahmi Fadzil pledged his entire salary to a fund to support his constituents, if he is appointed as a cabinet minister.

On the other hand, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli vowed to “find Azam” once Harapan comes into power, in a seeming threat against MACC chief Azam Baki after the graft-buster raided his research company, Invoke Solutions, during the campaign period.

While some promises involving personal salaries may be easier to fulfil, those involving state policies or even the size of the cabinet and who gets to be in the cabinet may be trickier.

This is because Anwar will be leading a coalition government involving non-Harapan parties.

This would also call into question how much of Harapan’s manifesto could be fulfilled, and what compromises can be made to accommodate the promises of the new partners.

View the manifestos of all coalitions here.