THE opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will today use the convening of Parliament to block salary increases for government ministers and parliamentarians, including those on the opposition benches. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Wednesday said that the government has gone ahead to pay out the heavily criticised salary increases, saying it had done so hastily and in violation of the parliamentary Standing Orders. The Parliament meets today for an address by President David Granger. Following his speech, the sitting of the National Assembly will proceed, at which time the Speaker will pronounce on whether or not he will entertain a debate on the motion the PPP has submitted to block the increases.
Jagdeo, in a press statement, confirmed that PPP parliamentarians collected their salaries, including the increases gazetted by the Finance Minister Winston Jordan.
Jagdeo had said that the PPP would reject the increases.
He said that the law requires that the Order allowing the increases must receive the approval of the National Assembly before they could take effect. “Our motion is intended to call upon the National Assembly not to approve these increases but to reverse them,” Mr Jagdeo said in his statement. He noted that no public announcement was made at any Cabinet press briefing or anywhere else, although the decision was made some time ago. The government has indicated that salary increases, including 5% for the President, 10% for the Prime Minister, and increases amounting to 50% in some cases for government ministers, was meant to correct anomalies with the salary structure and provide for a salary structure to cater for four vice- presidents who were appointed.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo told reporters on Wednesday that despite the PPP’s ramblings, government did not steal the “cookie jar.” The Prime Minister took a firm stance on the issue of reaffirming government’s commitment to working for the people.
When questioned about the increases, Nagamootoo stated that the government sees it as a necessary step, pointing out several factors which contributed to the move. Those factors include long- standing discrepancies between the salary of the Prime Minister and Attorney General and the addition of four vice- presidents to the leadership corps of the new government.
He explained that the administration was fully aware of the implications of its decision.

“We know that this was going to be [an] unpopular decision…but that does not justify why we didn’t go out to the grassroots and bottom houses…we did not walk away with the cookie jar,” said Nagamootoo. In fact the Prime Minister made it clear that persons going into public office should not be expected to leave their private possessions and occupy lesser- paying jobs.

“I don’t believe that those who are saying that we have come into public office with an expectation that we will earn less ought not to seek office. If that is what happens in every sector, no one would want to be a judge, because you will tell the lawyer when you become a judge you will get far less than perhaps what you dream of getting as a lawyer. Seeking elected office anywhere in the world carries a salary. It could be more or it could be less, but nowhere in the world do you see someone walk into an office and not expecting to be remunerated because they still have to live,” he emphasised.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the increases were packaged and sold to the electorate in an ill manner; accepting responsibility given the remit of his office. “It was not explained fully and it was not properly packaged. I believe that the very fact that you are asking the question that there is 50% increase, shows the extent to which this matter has been allowed to spiral out of control,” he articulated.

“It’s not that we changed. It is that we wanted to put in a system that would allow us to govern better…it is not the quantity of the money, it is the principle of correcting the anomalies that existed,” Nagamootoo added.

He pointed out that under the PPP regime, he would have rejected increases when offered to ministers but in this case, the situation was different and needed to be adjusted.
On inheriting the handles of Government, Nagamootoo indicated that the APNU+AFC was confronted with a salary regime that saw permanent secretaries being paid more than junior ministers. Even now, that anomaly exists.

“I know down the line, public servants will be remunerated. We are waiting on the report that will come out of the Commission of Inquiry and we will be guided by it, said the Prime Minister.
It was also clarified that the President received an increase of 5%. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced that the government is considering a proposal for the increase of the salaries being offered to Regional Executive Officers. The total package is some $600,000 with $300,000 being basic, tax- free salary.