Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran

Mega salary increases

…“Govt abused electorate’s trust”

Regardless of the ever growing number of “explanations” the APNU/AFC Government is offering for its self-serving super salary increases for its ministers, the decision continues to provoke public outcry, with persons voicing disappointment and condemnation of the Administration.

Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran is the latest to join a wide cross-section of society – including noted supporters of the APNU/AFC coalition – in voicing his disgust of the move by Government.

President David Granger

In his blog “The Conversation Tree” Ramkarran, a fierce critic of the PPP of which he was once an Executive Member, on Saturday stated that the eruption over the Executive salary increases could not be contained by the justifications rendered by various Government officials.

He explained that the efforts by State Minister Joseph Harmon, Finance Minister Winston Jordan, Attorney General Basil Williams and Governance Minister Raphael Trotman have failed to ease the ‘political controversy’ which has persisted with unabated ferocity over the past two weeks.

It was noted that numerous editorials and other such publications in the media have underlined public dismay at the substantial salary increases.

The former Speaker of the National Assembly, who once vied to be the presidential candidate of the PPP/C, added that while indeed some rectification was needed with respect to salaries, it was unbelievable that the regime can give itself a substantial increase when public servants received less than promised, on the account of shortage of resources, and the senior citizens no longer receiving electricity and water subsidies.

Ramkarran recalled that between 1957 and 1964, the totality of salary and benefits for a minister was $840 (then about US$420) per month with $120 as a travel allowance and a driver.

He was referring to the first Administration of the PPP, just before independence and the  US$420 salary then would be equivalent to present day US$3000 or $G600,000 – which was just about equivalent to the $579,000 that the PPP was paying its Ministers, before the 50% increase the Granger Administration gave itself.

Ramkarran, who had been touted as a possible presidential candidate of the APNU/AFC coalition, further stated that this new Administration had a ‘golden opportunity’ to do things differently.

“How could the Government not know that fixing your own salaries from the public purse, which is taxpayers’ monies held in trust, is an abuse of that trust and of the electorate’s trust?” he questioned.

Ramkarran said such a move is a blatant case of a conflict of interest.

“The short-sighted manner, the deceptive process and the defiant tones which accompanied the decision, will colour the outlook by which the administration is viewed, including by its friends and well-wishers,” Ramkarran emphasised.

There have been huge public outrage and continued criticisms of Government’s decision to increase the salaries of its Ministers by more than 50 per cent since Guyana Times broke the story in late September.

Even the President whose $2M per month is tax free received an increase of $100,000 per month.

On Friday, President David Granger obdurately endorsed and defended the move by Cabinet, adding that he fully endorse the massive salary hikes.

He argued that the decision to increase the pay was not arrived at easily and citizens should accept it while viewing it as an investment in what he referred to as “good governance”.

On Thursday, several  Non-Governmental Organisations, activists and persons associated with the current Administration took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction over the decision to increase the Ministers salary by 50 per cent, while public servants were handed a meagre five per cent increase. It was announced that they intend to picket the Government at Parliament Buildings during the next sitting of the National Assembly this Thursday.

Other individuals supportive of Government such as Dr David Hinds, Christopher Ram, Ramon Gaskin, and others voiced their concerns over the move to increase the salaries of ministers.

The labour unions also voiced their disapproval of the Government’s decision, with one trade unionist reminding the President and Cabinet that one who enters the public service does not enter with the expectation of gaining a lucrative or Private Sector salary but to serve the people and work for their benefit.

The Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic from the outset criticised the move and called on the David Granger-led Administration to end its policy of giving “meat to the boys and bones to workers”.

The Party may on Thursday move a formal motion protesting the increase in the 65-seat Legislature.

In the Official Gazette of September 25, it was revealed that a Cabinet Minister would be given a hefty sum of $10,439,124 annually. It further detailed that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo would be benefiting from in excess of $20 million per annum, while the other Vice Presidents would each receive $11,135,064. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)