Dear Editor,
As a follow-up to Ms.Nicole Cole’s letter, `The government lied’ (SN, October 16), I think it is safe to conclude the coalition government’s decision to hike salaries for its swollen cabinet and MPs is set in stone, not only because of cabinet ministers’ insistence it is fair, necessary or irreversible, but because it was actually placed first in the Official Gazette, which is traditionally where it would be placed after Parliament debated and legislated on any motion.
This now means that any upcoming parliamentary debate on this issue will be a mere formality, which is pretty much reminiscent of the Burnham and Jagdeo regimes using their party-controlled Parliament as a rubber stamp on foregone decisions. And while we can understand the government is asking the people to trust it, it is the government, not the people, that broke the trust and so it is the government that needs to mend it.
It was the government, while on the campaign trail, that promised public servants the 20% pay hike, only to give the impression after winning the election that the PPP left the treasury with a deficit, thereby making the 5% hike look better than no hike at all. Many, like Ms. Cole, now see it was a promise made but broken against a backdrop of a lie.
It is a known fact that in August, when word first got out of pending salary hikes for cabinet ministers, the government backed down after a public outcry, but not before explaining that there was need for different pay scales for the vice presidents and other cabinet ministers. That was despite the fact that it was the coalition regime that created the vice president positions with responsibilities normally executed by cabinet ministers. There was no actual additional set of responsibilities for these new vice presidents; just new titles, which the coalition now contends necessitated bigger salaries.
I have backed the AFC since 2005, but even I cannot wrap my mind around Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo getting $1.7M a month for having cabinet responsibility for Information (NCN, GINA and Chronicle), even though he was supposed to be handling government activities and constitutional reforms as per the Cummingsburg Accord. I also do not know why a poor country like Guyana can have elected and appointed officials not paying taxes. Every year, US President Barack Obama, declares to the nation how much he earned and how much he paid in taxes. Point made?
What is instructive to also note is that back in August, it was disclosed by Demerara Waves that the coalition regime said Professor Dr. Harold Lutchman would be reviewing the hikes for ministers and MPs. This is the same Dr. Lutchman who is also chairing the Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service reforms and salary structures. Then I read somewhere (not sure whether traditional or social media) that the recent pay structure for ministers and MPs was done by Ms. Sandra Jones, who also happens to be a member of the same Commission of Inquiry, which then begs the question: Did any member of the Commission of Inquiry into Public Service reforms and salary structures actually set the pay hikes for cabinet ministers and MPs and was that within their COI terms of reference or responsibilities?
I can now only hope that there is some clarification from the regime about who actually were the architects of the controversial hikes and whether they were legally authorized to do so by Parliament, because there should be no pay hikes for elected government officials unless first approved by Parliament. In fact, whenever the Commission of Inquiry on the Public Service produces its salary structures for regular public servants, these should first be discussed with the relevant trade union bodies, approved by Parliament then placed in the Official Gazette. The coalition regime has to see itself as the opposite of the corrupt and high-handed PPP if it is going to keep its support base and win over fence-sitters and haters. It also has to abide by existing principles, rules, regulations and laws if it is going to avoid labels of corruption and lawlessness attached to its predecessor.
To Minister Harmon, in particular, it has been noted that, globally, the pay scales for government officials are never pegged against that earned by their private sector peers of equal qualifications and experience. Most governments that tap into the private sector for cabinet and top-ranking public sector appointments know these private sector professionals hired are taking a pay cut as part of their patriotic duty to serve the public. For example, in New York City, a former Wall Street big-wig, Harold O. Levy, gave up his job paying millions of dollars a year to take the job of NYC Schools Chancellor from 2000 to 2002. And to those who claim a bigger hike for public servants is coming in 2016, is that not another promise?
As I join others in reconciling ourselves to the fact that the coalition regime has won this battle, I want to implore everyone to recognize that in politics, a battle could well become part of a war, and whenever politicians see they have won one battle, they will always look for opportunities to win more until they are in control of a war against people. This is why it takes strong and trustworthy opposition, and the independent voices of people and media houses to always strive to keep the government of the day in check. It may even be a government the majority supports, but there is still need for the entire society to have a voice and a role in making sure the government is there to serve the people and not merely its leadership.
Yours faithfully,
Emile Mervin
