Are you willing to work for somebody for half a year without pay?

Apparently these two Members of Parliament (MP) are.

MPs Tony Pua and Dr Ong Kian Ming have agreed to help the Finance Ministry out for the next six months without receiving a salary!

The new Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has appointed Pua and Dr Ong as special officers for the ministry in the next half year.

However, should Lim require more help after that six-month period, Dr Ong said they would stay on for as long as needed.

Dr Ong also lectures on economics and policy science.
As you can probably tell by the news of the financial state of our country over the last few days, you know that the ministry has a lot of work to do.

"The minister needs hands to help him settle down in the next few months," Pua said, as reported by The Star.

Tony Pua is a qualified economics professional.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also given the green light for this temporary appointment.

Both MPs have officially started work with the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya on Tuesday.

If you were wondering why Lim appointed these two men in particular, they both share a common background in finance and economics.

Pua is a ASEAN scholar who graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Keble College, Oxford.

While Dr Ong has a number of qualifications, including a PhD in Political Science from Duke University, Masters in Economics from Cambridge University and degree in Economics from London School of Economics.

And in case you didn't know, both Pua and Dr Ong received more than 100,000 votes in their respective constituencies during the 14th General Election!

Dr Ong Kian Ming had received a total of 102,557 votes in Bangi, which was also the largest constituency this election.

As for Tony Pua? He recorded one of the highest number of votes in the history of Malaysian elections with 121,283 votes won!

So with their background and expertise on top of the people's confidence in them, no wonder the Finance Minister turned to them in this new season.