The People’s Progressive Party is yet to come to a decision as to how the salary increases its parliamentarians will not accept, are to be used, though its General Secretary Clement Rohee stated that a percentage of his salary was already being taken out and placed in a longstanding account.
At the party’s weekly press briefing yesterday, Rohee stated that the party has a longstanding account to which party members, inclusive of parliamentarians, contribute a portion of their net salaries.
The general secretary was questioned as to what the party had decided since Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo had declared that no PPP MP would be accepting the increase. Rohee said, “My increase usually goes into a PPP bank account.”
Stabroek News asked Rohee why this account had not been mentioned before, considering that he was specifically asked if a fund would be set up to collect the increases and then later a decision made as to whether or not those funds be given to various charitable organisations.
“You are imputing that by my not saying before that this bank account existed that something was sudden, was pulled out of the hat and we suddenly set up this bank account,” he countered. “It’s been there for years… I don’t have to lie. I’m a big person. I don’t have to lie over that.
…It’s always been there. It’s always been there for the longest time… Madam, I can’t tell you since when, but I know I have been putting money in it for the longest while.”
Attempting to clarify, PPP Executive Secretary Zulficar Mustapha said, “… The old salary goes to the MP and the increase goes into that special fund that the party created years ago and it’s deposited there.”
Mustapha stated, “There was a public pronouncement that the money was put in a special fund. The GS referred to that fund, that fund existed a long time.”
Rohee told this publication after the press conference that he would be releasing a statement to clarify any outstanding matters.
“And please don’t say… I will be very unhappy if I read, subsequent to this press conference, a headline to the effect that confusion reigns respective to this issue,” he admonished members of the media.
“I don’t want anyone saying Rohee when pressed, I am volunteering answers,” he said. “And don’t put this as Rohee got worked up, because I know how you guys are. I have answered all of your questions. Every single one of your questions I have answered [except] the specific question you asked about… the bank account. I said I don’t remember. I don’t remember.”
This publication was subsequently made to understand that there was an account that was set up in the 1970s that is no longer in existence due to the closure of the bank. Other accounts were set up after, but there was no confirmation that the party was given direct access to MP’s accounts.
The disclosure of a PPP bank account where MP salary increases are supposed to go, came one day after Minister of State Joseph Harmon donated the value of his salary increase for October to the people of Crane, West Coast Demerara, for the installing of street lights in the village.
“Well, as everyone knows I come from Pouderoyen, I born and grown deh and so when we came into office after the May 11 elections the people from Middle Street [Pouderoyen] came to me and said we want to do a village day and we want to run some lights in the street,” Harmon said on Sunday at the People’s National Congress Re-form’s (PNCR) annual regional conference at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School. He said that after the residents made their request he had to deny them as it was not budgeted for the region. He added that because he came from the area he took it upon himself to personally provide the money to pay for the lights and donated $217,000.
The highly controversial salary increases were heavily criticised by members of civil society as well as the opposition. Mem-bers of Parliament without a designation will see a 20% salary increase, taking their annual salaries from $2,002,116 to $2,402,532. Parliamentary secretaries and the Chief Whip will earn over 12% more, taking their salaries from $3,336,876 and $2,384,328 to $3,753,984 and $2,682,360 respectively. The Deputy Speaker will now earn $2,702,880, just under a $300,000 annual increase.
The increases were quietly gazetted without a public announcement.
