KUALA LUMPUR: The Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) believes that elected representatives should continue to receive remuneration after completing their term of service.
Mubarak president, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman, said unlike civil servants, these representatives are elected by the people and they do not work for the government.
"Elected representatives are not government officers, they don't work with the government but instead, serve the people 24/7.
"Furthermore, they (elected representatives) also have to serve for a certain period before they are entitled to the payment, according to Act 237 (Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980)," he said.
Abdul Aziz also rejected the use of the term 'pension' for remuneration given to elected representatives.
"The Public Service Departments call it a pension when it is not. It is gratuity, a government contribution to those who have been elected representatives.
"I believe that there is no need to involve the elected representatives in this matter. Their privileges are under Parliament for their services to the people and not under the PSD," he said.
According to Act 237, a member of parliament (MP) may be granted a pension if he or she has completed 36 months of reckonable service.
The act also states that a person who becomes an MP for the first time on or after July 1, 1990, ceases to be a member upon completing 36 months of reckonable service but has not attained the age of 50 years on the date he ceases to be a member, he may be granted a pension only upon attaining the age of 50.
Last year, then-Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the government cannot drastically abolish pensions for MPs and civil servants as it has significant implications from socio-economic and political aspects.
He also said MPs' pensions do not burden the government financially because the amount is "very small" compared to other public service sectors.
Abdul Aziz's comments come in the wake of calls for elected representatives to be exempted from the pension scheme.
This was after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi had on Wednesday announced that new civil servant hires from Feb 1 onwards would no longer qualify for pension. They would instead contribute to retirement schemes like the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the review of pension schemes also applies to political appointments. He, however, said the matter will only be finalised after the study on the review is brought to the cabinet to be decided.