PAKATAN Harapan (PH) supporters have trolled the opposition front for poking fun at Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for forgoing his salary – a decision that he made ever since his maiden media conference as PM on Nov 24, 2022 – during the Budget 2025 debate in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (Oct 21).
This followed a question posed by PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PAS-Kubang Kerian) to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin (Bersatu-Larut) if Anwar who is also the Finance Minister possesses angelic qualities of being able to survive without receiving salary.
This was when Hamzah who is also the Bersatu secretary-general ticked off Anwar who is the Tambun MP that if indeed he is sincere, he should also exempt himself “from accepting allowances especially those deriving from GLICs (government-linked investment companies) or easier still, just announce zero-income”.
“But if zero-income, how is he going to eat unless he can pray for rice to suddenly appear courtesy of Kota Raja (referring to Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu) … But that’s still OK so long as he doesn’t pray for apple or avocado,” teased Hamzah who is also the Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general.
But pro-Madani social media influencer Roman Akramovich (@SyedAkramin) took offence of Hamzah and Tuan Ibrahim’s unkind gesture, alluding to the fact that the duo was indulging in “empty vessel argument”.
“What did PN do in Parliament yesterday (Oct 21)?
- Sarcasm of Anwar not receiving a salary.
- As if Anwar is an angel, hence doesn’t need a salary
- Teased that Anwar is able to pray directly to God for food to appear at his house’s front door
“So, where’s the argument that’s beneficial to the people?”
Apa PN buat di Parlimen hari ini?
– Sindir Anwar sebab tak ambil gaji.
– Kononnya Anwar fikir ingat dirinya malaikat, tak perlu gaji
– Perli Anwar kononnya boleh doa direct dengan Allah kasi makanan depan pintu rumahJADI, MANA HUJAH UNTUK RAKYAT?pic.twitter.com/TOR5HqjFlJ
— Roman Akramovich (@SyedAkramin) October 21, 2024
Surely, Roman Akramovich had done Anwar a great favour for clearing his name as one netizen lamented how “Muslims themselves tend to poke fun at Islam yet get triggered when people of other religions mock Islam”.
Other commenters berated that the opposition lacked substance to the extent that they have to incessantly harp on petty matters, especially given it is no longer relevant to bring up PMX’s salary issue at this juncture after a lapse of almost two years.
One commenter wondered why the opposition has the tendency “to embark on personal attacks by leveraging incitement and insults which are not based on facts”.
Others took a swipe at the PN parliamentarians who are always absent from the Dewan Rakyat “yet still drawing their salaries and cherished as wali (Muslim saint)”. One commenter even wondered which opposition leader would make an ideal PM.
At the end of the day, one netizen reckoned that the opposition has nothing to lose by mocking the government of the day given “this can be used as TikTok or Facebook content whereby almost all netizens are attracted to 50 sen jokes”.
“Fortunately, X netizens are still able to see who the dumb ones in the Parliament are,” he added. – Oct 22, 2024
