Ministers Giving Up $1K Phone Allowance, 50% of Entertainment Allowance
Elena Smith
According to the Prime Minister, the ministers will be giving up fifty percent of their entertainment allowance, which is a monthly sum they receive to host international guests as well as their thousand-dollar telephone monthly allowance. But do ministers actually spend a thousand dollars on telephone every month? We asked the union leaders today.
Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U.
“When you look at the entertainment allowance and the food allowances combined, that is enough to pay a teacher or a public officer to do necessary work. We have a lot of classrooms that are crowded and we need a lot of extra teachers. We need counselors in the schools. We need persons to deal with special needs students. Those amounts can pay for an entire teacher. Just as the public is saying it is unfair and if it is that we are a as country don’t have that kind of money why are we giving people such allowances? I mean does it have to be that big? Why can’t they cut down on that?”
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, First Vice President, P.S.U.
“An entertainment allowance is principally when you have guest, dignitaries, perhaps business investors you would normally take them out to dine and then you are given an entertainment allowance to host these people. However as any finance officer or accounts clerk would tell you that while these entertainment and hosting takes place, the Minister, C.E.O., and H.O.D.s will still turn around and submit those invoices to the ministry for payments. So in essence the entertainment allowance is not being used for the purpose for which is was intended and is rather being pocketed and used for their own benefit rather than for entertaining guests and possible investors for the country.”
Hipolito Novelo
“The ministers are giving up their phone allowance. One thousand dollars, that must count for something.”
Dean Flowers
“Well of course, as matter of fact I think from the where the P.S.U. they should not be getting a phone allowance of a thousand dollars in the first place. We are glad to hear that they are giving it up. I believe that it should be taken away permanently and that the minister should be put on a plan that is affordable and won’t cause any inconvenience to them.”
