Dear Editor,
The Guyana Prime Minister will earn $20,580,000 or US $102,900 per annum. Guyana cabinet ministers will earn $10,439,124 or US$52,200 per annum. US cabinet members earn US$203,700 per annum. UK cabinet members earn US$122,000 per annum. Canadian cabinet members earn US$62,000, a mere US$10,000 more than Guyana cabinet members. In fact, if the government granted to cabinet ministers a 100% salary increase, Guyana’s cabinet ministers would have earned more than Canadian cabinet ministers.
Guyana’s GDP per capita is US$4226; Canada’s is US$50,271; the US’ is $55,000 and the UK’s is $46,000. Guyana’s Prime Minister now earns 24 times the GDP per capita while Guyana’s cabinet ministers earn 12.3 times. The US cabinet members earn 3.7 times the US GDP per capita while it is 1.23 times for Canada’s cabinet ministers and 2.65 times for UK cabinet ministers. Considering the cost of living in Guyana’s US$4226 GDP per capita economy compared to the US, Canada and the UK, this is callous enrichment of the highest order. The entire notion of paying people not to be corrupt is a most absurd one. When will it end? When will they ever stop demanding more because the temptations are increasing? How does such a reward system, absent performance and competency, ever deliver anything for value?
Yours faithfully,
M Maxwell
