Almost two dozen citizens yesterday picketed the Ministry of the Presidency over the 50% pay hike for Cabinet members, which they said should be reconsidered.
Activist Karen de Souza, who was among the members of Red Thread who participated in the protest during the course of the morning, denounced the increases.
“We think that both the increase and the manner in which it was done is rude, disrespectful and out of order,” de Souza declared, while adding that the attempt by Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman to justify the increase was both weak and inadequate.
Trotman, who was the latest government spokesman to attempt to defend the move, told reporters on Wednesday that the increases were “fair” and “necessary” and intended to ensure parity between salaries paid to members of the executive, legislature and judicial branches of government.
de Souza noted that the actions of the coalition government in this regard do not reflect the promises made during its recent election campaign, when it said significant increases would be put in place for public servants. Public servants were given a 5% increase in this year’s national budget, effective from July.
“Government has to understand that majority of the people live on or below the poverty line… and that has to be addressed,” de Souza stressed.
“The promise was for a good life for all… we not seeing any evidence of that… and we hope that they will hear us,” she added.
She further compared the present government to the former one and she said its behaviour is not sufficiently different.
“It is not too late for them to go back and to reconsider their decision,” de Souza, however, said.
Activist Sherlina Nageer, also of Red Thread, was among those who carried placards. Hers read, “Coalition: ya lie! Shame on you!”
“I don’t think that a salary increase is warranted, period,” Nageer said, while calling the announced increases “reprehensible.”
She suggested that there is a lack of understanding among politicians of what it means to be a public servant. “Politicians need to realise that they are public servants and they need to set an example… if they will give teachers, police and nurses [a] 5% increase, then they shouldn’t be getting 50%,” Nageer stressed, while she highlighted the fact that ministers are also already benefitting from services which ordinary citizens are not getting.
She said poor people are still struggling and nothing really seems to have changed since the new government has taken office; rather, she said it was only an exchange of governments. “We are calling for the Ministers to set a better example and repeal the decision. It is very disappointing and it is disrespectful to the Guyanese people at large,” she added.
Elton McRae, a concerned citizen, said the increases should have been implemented gradually but should not have been done at this stage.
McRae, who said many persons are upset over the announcement of the increases but they are afraid to come out and protest, called it a grave injustice to the general public.
“We voted for a change in government, not an exchange for their own benefit,” he said, while charging that the Guyanese people were lied to. “The promise was for a good life for all… not a good life for a few,” he added.
He further noted that Trotman had assured the Guyanese people that there would have been no increases and then a lot of excuses were forthcoming afterwards.
“The minister lied to us and now he asking us to trust him…? No… I can’t trust him on this one,” he said. “I would really like the government to review and suspend the decision.”
The announcement of the increases has been met with widespread criticism from various sections of the society and calls for a reversal of the decision.
Political analyst Christopher Ram, writing on his blog at chrisram.net, said Cabinet needs to admit that it has made a giant misstep. “It is not too late to reverse the decision and have the National Assembly appoint an independent Compensation Committee to look into the question of compensation for ministers, MPs and other political appointees. Indeed, this should be a permanent arrangement which prevents what is a clear conflict of interest for Cabinet members,” he wrote.
Analyst Dr. Henry Jeffrey described the increases as being an act of self-interest. “Notwithstanding its quite fuzzy and extremely problematic explanations, it is clear that inherent in the decision to pay itself salary increases far above those of its employees, who, for the most part, are just inches away from the bread-line, is an abundant self-interest,” Jeffrey wrote in his Stabroek News column.
The salary increases have also been strongly condemned by former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who called for them to be rescinded.
In his accountability column in Stabroek News, Goolsarran said while there was some anticipation that there would be some adjustment to the salaries of Ministers in recognition of the fact that there are now two categories of Ministers and three Vice-Presidents, “one is alarmed at the extent of the increase.”
Goolsarran argued that ministers also enjoy a range of benefits, including duty-free concession on a motor vehicle by virtue of being Members of Parliament; chauffeur-driven State vehicle(s); housing allowance or the provision of free accommodation; free electricity, telephone and internet services; 24-hour guard service; a gardener/handyman; and maid services.
According to the Official Gazette, Cabinet ministers will now receive $10,439,124 annually, a 50% increase from what was previously stated in the Principal Act.
Junior ministers will earn $8,346,492, an over 16% increase from the annual salary of a Cabinet minister under the former administration.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo will now receive $20,580,000 annually, an over $2 million increase from what was previously stipulated in the Principal Act, taking his monthly salary to over $1.7 million.
Vice-Presidents, other than the Prime Minister, are to be paid $11,135,064 per annum and also enjoying a 50% increase will be the Speaker of the National Assembly, who will remain on par with Cabinet ministers as well as the Leader of the Opposition.
