After 20 years, pay raise for legislators
It was a rare session of the House of Representatives. Instead of the usual all out war, the debate more closely resembled a meeting of the Rotary Club. And why not? Money was at stake…and that meant–for this morning anyway–that the green was far more important than red or blue. News 5’s Patrick Jones reports from Belmopan.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The mood inside the National Assembly chamber was subdued today compared with other sittings of the House of Representatives. Apart from sessional papers, which were ordered to lie on the table and reports from House Committees, the business of the lower house of Parliament was pretty much routine. Two bills were introduced, one of which was taken through all its stages, and three pieces of legislation were given their second and third readings. But perhaps the biggest item on the agenda was a motion, approved by Cabinet, which effectively raises the salaries and allowances of Government Ministers and Parliamentarians. The motion, according to Minister of Health Jose Coye, marks the first raise of pay for legislators in twenty years.
Jose Coye, Minister of Health
“Madam Speaker, the Cabinet in essence did give its support to rationale, underpinning the recommendations from the joint select committee for the upward adjustments of salaries for Parliamentarians and Ministers. And in essence, what the select committee advanced as justification was firstly that there was no adjustment for salaries since 1982 for Parliamentarians and Ministers. Secondly, the joint select committee, which Cabinet did support, did take into account over the twenty odd years, the changes and the span of responsibility in the job profile of Parliamentarians and Ministers in areas of policy development, in areas of enactment of laws, in the monitoring and in the evaluation of those policies and laws, and of course what they consider inherent in the leadership skills of people who are holding these positions.”
Michael Finnegan, Area Representative, Mesopotamia
“It is ridiculous, I repeat Madam Speaker, for a Member of Parliament to be making eight hundred and ninety-five dollars a month. It is likewise ridiculous for ministers of government to be taking home fifteen hundred dollars a month. Madam Speaker and finally, now that we are being paid properly, and ministers of government are being paid properly, one expects that minister will be now be placed in a position where nobody out there or in any circle will be able to compromise their ministerial position.”
The salary increase will see the Prime Minister’s pay go from thirty-one thousand, five hundred and forty-eight dollars, to one hundred and two thousand dollars per annum. Ministers and Ministers of State are going from twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred dollars to ninety thousand and sixty thousand dollars respectively. The Deputy Prime Minister will now take home ninety-six thousand dollars, up from thirty-one thousand, five hundred and forty-eight dollars. The Leader of the Opposition will jump to sixty-two thousand dollars per year, up from twenty-one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-five dollars. Area Representatives will now earn forty-two thousand dollars, up from eighteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-two dollars, while Senators will receive eighteen thousand, two hundred dollars per year, up from eight thousand, four hundred and fifty-six dollars. The Speaker of the House had her salary raised to twenty-eight thousand dollars, up from sixteen thousand, three hundred and sixty-nine, while the President of the Senate now earns twenty-four thousand dollars, up from twelve thousand, two hundred and seventy-three dollars. Both those jobs are considered part time, at best.
The other issue raised at today’s House meeting was the price of fuel. In response to a question from the Member for Belize Rural South, Manuel Heredia, Minister of Finance, Ralph Fonseca, explained that to date Government has given up two million dollars worth of revenue in order to keep prices manageable for consumers. This, Minister Fonseca says, cannot continue indefinitely without adversely affecting government’s ability to carry out its programmes. As to when relief at the pump will come, Fonseca says that depends on factors beyond our control.
Ralph Fonseca, Minister of Finance
“It really depends on world markets. We spend over a hundred million dollars every year on fuel, so it’s a very important commodity in the economy. It’s directly related to the macro economy, so we can’t have it get out of control. It’s also directly related to government revenue, as you know, it’s a very large part of it like I said for roads et cetera. So the short answer is when world prices change.”
But since there is no telling when that will be, Fonseca says it’s time to consider other alternatives. One suggestion he brought to the floor of the House was a hedging instrument, but would take national consensus to go that route.
Ralph Fonseca
“Because in effect it would mean that Belizeans would have to decide what price they can afford to pay for fuel and then when the fuel price goes below that, they still keep it up at that price range. But those are the only two alternatives at this point: world market prices come down or we arrange a financial instrument if this thing continues much longer.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
Final passage of bills read today will take place on Tuesday when the Senate will meet in Belmopan. In case you were wondering, those new salaries, like yours and mine, are subject to income tax.
