“PMs to get raises – PM: Increases will come in next budget” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis yesterday pleaded to implement a pay raise for members of Parliament in the next budget.

In the House of Assembly, Minnis revealed that several government consultants had been awarded substantial contracts, which were renewed and extended in the days before the May general election.

He said one consultant took home almost $200,000 a year and another was on a four-year, $800,000 contract.

‘I want to put the nation on notice that the time has come when individuals are being paid by the government half a million dollars per annum, individuals are receiving contracts up to $800,000 and the members of Parliament are being paid &28,000,’ Minnis said.’

“I want to put the country on notice that at the next budget I will come forth with a pay increase for the members of Parliament.

‘I will put establish an independent committee who will look at members salaries, who will look at government structure salaries for this half a million dollars, these $800,000 contracts signed a few hours before the election.

‘All of this will be reviewed.”

When I first saw this I noted what I hoped was a hint of sarcasm from the prime minister, a tone to show his contempt for the Progressive Liberal Party’s blatant misuse of the public purse hours before a general election in order to ‘secure’ an election victory but since this statement has been taken on a life of its own, as there is much opposition to it from the general public; I take the opposition from the opposition as utter nonsense as they were the ones that first proposed this nonsense.

I will look at this issue from both views; one being an attempt at sarcasm and the other as being a serious consideration.

If the statement was made in jest, to mock the pervious governments reckless spending practices as the country continued to sink in a fiscal quagmire, then it was a bad joke, second only to a certain persons dancing, whose timing was really, really, really off; this is not the time to joke about such things. Then there is the view of the statement being a serious statement, and even as the prime minister speaks to actually putting together an independent committee to see if this is possible, I oppose a pay increase for members of Parliament at this time for the same reason as I did when it was proposed by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), I do not think it would be a good idea until the country is on sound financial ground. 

It would appear that the country is on the road to recovery, although there are those that would deny this, but we all know that any economic recovery will take some time, so to even suggest that there will be a paid increase for members of parliament will not be taken easily by a country that is still adjusting to the effects of tax reform in a time when job prospects are rather bleak for a lot in the country.

In my opinion there is no justification for a pay increase at this time; the main one being that it would lower the chances of corruption, is this to suggest that some have already given into the thought of the temptation or to the temptation itself?

Need I be brash like the President of The United States and remind our members of Parliament and remind them that they knew what they were signing up for?

END