General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee yesterday called on the government to justify what he called an “unconscionable decision” to increase ministerial salaries in some cases by 100%.
Rohee said that as a former minister of Home Affairs he was content with his salary of $579,000 monthly and any decision by the current administration to raise the pay of ministers and vice presidents, while pulling the plug on people-centred policies like the school voucher programme was appalling.
He told members of the media during the party’s press briefing at Freedom House that under the coalition government three ministers would be receiving salaries for work he was solely responsible for under the PPP administration. Rohee said these responsibilities had been split among the ministers of Public Security, Citizenship and State.
While he did not state what the proposed increases were, Rohee called them “appalling” and “unconscionable” and all the more inappropriate because the
various allowances such as drivers and gardeners were in addition to the pay hikes and were also being increased. Several attempts to contact Finance Minister Winston Jordan for a comment yesterday were to no avail.
Rohee blasted the proposed increases as side-lining the promises made to the public sector and “fix[ing] up the boys and girls.”
In a press statement issued over the weekend the PPP stated that “the APNU+AFC, while in opposition, had accused the PPP/Civic government of excessive spending.”
Rohee called the coalition hypocritical, stating, “This is the same administration which had claimed there is no money in the treasury to continue the school uniform voucher programme and to give public servants a promised 20% pay increase.
“Clearly, the Granger Administration is more concerned with living extravagant lifestyles and earning big bucks, while the population suffers, it is meat for the boys and bones for the rest of the nation.”
The party’s General Secretary told members of the media that “you don’t need a salary to be decent and honest” as he brushed off suggestions that the increases were aimed at fighting off corruption. Rohee repeatedly stated that ministerial salaries under the PPP regime were maintained because there was never any reasonable justification for increases.
