KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — The government needs to look closely at the law before it can make a decision on whether or not to cut the pension of former Cabinet members.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the decision cannot be made immediately as the allocations were made in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

"To abolish or remove the pension, it is impossible because this issue is something that has to do with the Federal Constitution and it needs to be looked into closely.

"What I have done for now, usually for the former ministers who received facilities including vehicles, those I have removed.

"That I can do in terms of administering the rules, and it’s better as these do not involve the Federal Constitution,” Anwar told reporters after a post-Cabinet meeting today.

He was responding to suggestions made to his unity government to end all the allocations and privileges of former ministers and ex-MPs as part of efforts to cut government spending and rechannel its resources towards the country’s development.