AFTER it has been ventilated in the public and registered much public outcry, Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday apologised to the Guyanese people for saying that he has “no apologies” to make for increase salaries for Government Ministers and Parliamentarians. Subsequent to the revelation that increases for Government Ministers and Parliamentarians were forthcoming, Harmon had told reporters that he has “no apology” to make for the increases, arguing that they are “justifiable.”
“I am not going to make any apology whatsoever for a minister getting an increase in salaries; they deserve it,” he was quoted as saying on October 6.
His statement had succeeded moves by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan to increase the salaries. In keeping with an order gazetted by Jordan, the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was now receiving an income of $20,580,000 per annum, as opposed to the $18,592,000 which was previously enjoyed.
Every Vice President, with the exception of Nagamootoo, was to receive an income of $11,135,065 per annum. This translates to them receiving approximately $927,000 per month.
Additionally, Cabinet members would receive $10,439,124 annually or approximately $869,927 monthly; while junior ministers are in line to receive approximately $695,000 monthly, or $8,346,492 per annum. Even Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo stood to benefit from the move, with his salary being increased by 50 per cent.
These revelations had attracted much public outcry with a protest even organised by Red Thread and civil society groups to express their dissatisfaction with the move.
But after saying that the increases were justifiable and that the Government has no apologies to make, Harmon at a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday humbly apologised to the Guyanese people, offering that those statements were made under certain circumstances.
“I have made the statement and you would recall the circumstances under which it was made and I said I had ‘no apologies’ to make to the PPP. But in the event that the Guyanese people, if they felt hurt or offended by it, I would say I apologise to them, not to the PPP, because I don’t think that they [PPP] deserve it,” he declared.
Earlier this month, the Minister of State donated the increase in his salary for October to the people of Crane village on the West Coast of Demerara, which will be used for the installation of street lights in the village. He even announced his intention to donate the same amount from his November and December salaries to communities in Berbice and Essequibo.
The PPP on the other hand, who had initially said through the Opposition Leader that they will not be accepting the increases, announced that they will donate same to the party.