– Jagdeo whips APNU/AFC over insensitivity

BY AKEEM GREENE

Government, with a majority in the National Assembly, voted down an Opposition motion to reverse the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) approved salary increase and save Guyana’s treasury millions of dollars in revenue, that will now stay in the pockets of a small group of elites, even as the poor continue to fight for cents and dollars to make a livelihood.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said he detested the act of the current Administration, stating their increases are “shameful”.

Former Minister Juan Edghill

Former President and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo2

“To say that a Minister earning $579,000 per month… and benefits would accumulate to more $800,000, and that was not a livable wage and they would have to get a huge increase to make it a livable wage, it is shameful”.

The salary increases have been greeted with outrage by members of the Opposition and the public. The initial contention vented was that the increase came too soon.

Jagdeo, however, contented that “all we have are people who have not done a single thing; all they produce is talks and gaffe at press conferences and trips abroad… but they got a 50 per cent increase”.

He maintained that the Government was greedy, insensitive and wicked when it placed its needs above those of the ordinary citizenry. Jagdeo, a former President, bemoaned the lack of consultation done with regards to the increases.

He argued that in the past, there was a joint committee which sought consultations, along with the staff of the Parliament to seek wages of Members of Parliament, which showed a joint process was initiated, despite it being possibly abandoned.

Jagdeo vociferously declared “we did not ask for the increase so to say how that they gave a salary increase to all Members of Parliament and to use the justification that we all benefited from it is to pull wool over the eyes of the people of this country to make it look like all of us are in this thing together, and to make it seem that we were involved in the salary increases and we were not”.

Responding to a statement from the Government that it made “a courageous decision”, Jagdeo said the new Administration appeared to be living in a bubble.

“They should have the same courage to give the public servants an increase… to give back $1.7 billion they took away from the school grant,” Jagdeo said.

The argument is being postulated in Parliament that these Ministers were earning large amount of monies in the Private Sector before they came into the Public Sector, and could be disadvantaged by coming into Government.
The Opposition Leader is challenging that argument, asking that the document be made public, stating “we have another motion in Parliament which will see the tax records of all these Ministers made public so we can judge if they deserved the increase, I hope they would support the motion”

Jagdeo is also contending that there is a motive behind the early announcement and implementation of the increase of salary and believes there is a strong and special reason behind it, as there are many people who are insecure of their tenure.
“If a member earns $1.7 million per month, his pensions will be 7/8 of that, I can assure you Speaker, my pension will be far less than that although I spent 12 years as President of Guyana”, the Opposition Leader revealed.

Supporting his statements, former Finance Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill reminded the Government of its promise while on the campaign trail to increase public servants salaries to improve their livelihood.

“But they have instead perpetrated a reckless and unethical act on the people of Guyana”. The former Minister explained that “in the term of Office, the APNU/AFC salaries would amount to $1 billion… not including other benefits”.
However, Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman rejected the claim, stating that $1 billion will not be paid in salary increases before the end of term for the collation Government.

“What we have before us is much ado about nothing… Government is not an easy thing”, he remarked. Trotman further stated that the Government will answer to the electorate if it fails to work hard and deliver.

The Governance Minister contended that salary increases are unpopular but necessary for good governance.