KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali (pic) has ordered state government departments and agencies to stop giving him souvenirs during his grassroots visits.

The order was issued through a circular dated Nov 13 to all departments and agencies in Selangor and signed by state secretary Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi.

Instead of souvenirs, the order, which was seen by The Malaysian Insider, states that agencies or departments should only give the MB reports of their activities or similar documents. This development comes at a time when the state government’s spending is in the spotlight after it was found that it had paid RM2.6 million in compensation to eight former aides of former MB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

In a document sighted by The Malaysian Insider, RM2.6 million in compensation and RM376,000 in lieu of three months’ notice were allegedly paid to Khalid’s eight members of staff.

It is understood that the payments were approved by Abdul Khalid, who is a member of the state-owned Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) board, on Sept 22 in one of his last duties as MB.

Meanwhile, the four PAS exco who had served under Abdul Khalid in his last days as MB were not aware of the RM2.6 million “golden handshake”, nor endorsed it.

This was made known to Selangor PAS representatives at a meeting on Tuesday night, said the party’s Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who added that the four were taken by surprise by the quantum.

“They were only informed by Khalid that the payouts were according to procedures and adhered to the contracts.

“They were surprised when they found out the money was transferred electronically to Khalid’s aides at night on his last day as MB,” the PAS MP said at the Parliament lobby yesterday. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 20, 2014.