KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pix) today said he is willing to take a 10 per cent cut in his pension to help those who have lost their sources of income because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Dr Mahathir said he decided on this because his life had not been impacted by the implementation of lockdown and the standard operating procedure (SOP) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
To narrow the gap between the fortunate group and those facing problems, it would be appropriate to cut 10 per cent of the salaries of workers in the government and private sectors and use the money to help the poor during the pandemic, he added.
“On each occasion when I was the prime minister, my first motion was to deduct my salary and those of ministers, deputy ministers and senior government officers by 10 per cent. There were not even major economic problems then.
“Now salaries have increased multiple times from before. While many have lost their income, those working in the government do not suffer any shortfalls. Even private sector companies do not come up short in terms of salary,” he said.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir suggested that those earning high pay in the government or private sectors contribute 10 per cent of their salary to the less fortunate especially people who have lost their jobs in the wake of Covid-19.
-Bernama
