Salaries, Pensions and Pretexts
Saturday , October 10 2015, Source
By virtue of the humongous increases in salary, the Prime Minister, and I am sure the President, when his increase is disclosed, will now enjoy a higher rate of pension than Former Presidents, Sam Hinds, Bharat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, since pensions for these office holders and indeed, Ministers and Vice Presidents are pegged by statute to 7/8 of their highest paid salary. So after 4 months in office and for doing almost nothing, the Prime Minister has chalked up a 22 million dollars land cruiser, 20 million dollars renovations to the Office of the Prime Minister, about 15 million dollars in renovation to the Prime Minister’s Residence, over 10 million dollars in furniture for the Residence, salaries over 1.7 million dollars monthly, retrospective to July, 2015 and a pension which even if he is to retire tomorrow, that will be higher than the pension enjoyed by Former Presidents, Hinds, Jagdeo and Ramotar.
From all indications, this will not be the only salary increase over the next few years. If in 6 months salaries were increased by 100%, it is frightening to project what it will be by the end of 5 years. In relation to each salary increase, there will be a corresponding increase in pension payable at a rate of 7/8 of the highest salary. So the nation is not only fetching the burden of these salary increases but these increases are attached to the pension of each of the recipients at a rate of 7/8 of the salary of each of them. The cumulative amount will run into billions as pensions are payable until death. So they have secured themselves even after they would have left office and to the grave.
This is a burden that our children and future generations will have to fetch on their backs.
When in Opposition, these are the very people, more particularly, the Prime Minister, who ranted and raved about Presidential pensions saying that “we cannot live a Cadillac lifestyle in a donkey cart economy”. Indeed, there is a video circulating on the social media which captures the Prime Minister at a public meeting, decked out in bright yellow, at the podium in his true elements. He is heard pitching about his allergies to salary increases when in government under the PPP and his intolerance to extravagance. In speaking about his almost Gandhian lifestyle, he said “I was the first minister who refused to accept increase in my salary, unless the government could pay more to nurses and teachers … I, never as a minister, stayed at a hotel at the expense of the people of Guyana … I, never travelled first class as a minister … I lived on a minimum of what other workers earned, donating the rest of my salary to pay others at Freedom House …”. Today, after 6 months, he has cost the Guyanese tax payer nearly a hundred million dollars in 6 months when one takes into account the above expenditures along with drivers, maids, security, telephone, electricity, internet and other expenses. As I write, he is now relaxing in Texas, on leave. Public servants are only entitled to leave after a year in office. But of course, that matters not now to our PM. I encourage every Guyanese to view this video. It is a mastery in deception.
Let us examine the response of the government to this phenomenal increase in salary. The response, nay defence, came from my good friend, Minister Joseph Harmon. It was a most uphill task. It had its effect on him. His response was most uncharacteristic in tone and tenor and sadly lacking in commonsense. He said that it was justifiable; that it is to prevent ministers from stealing; that while in private practice, he paid junior lawyers who worked for him $500,000 per month, why should he be paid less.
Some obvious questions must be asked. Is a 100% increase for public servants, nurses, teachers, sugar workers, the police, the army, the bauxite workers, not justifiable? The cash grant of $10,000 to every child in a public school; the subsidy for old age pensioners for light bills and water rates; a computer for every family who cannot afford one – are these not justifiable? Why only increases in salaries for cabinet members justifiable? If the increase in those salaries is to prevent stealing, is the government, now by not similarly increasing the salaries of public servants, nurses, teachers, sugar workers, the police, the army, the bauxite workers, encouraging them to steal? I am happy that my good friend, Joe did so well in private practice to pay his juniors $500,000 per month. I must assume that he earned much more than $500,000 per month. The upstanding individual that I know he is, I have no doubt that the records at the Guyana Revenue Authority will reflect the payment of taxes which this level of earning attracts for both himself and his juniors. Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, someone should verify.
Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Attorney-at-Law
