MPs' Earnings Must Be Public
PARLIAMENTARIANS' complaints about their salaries are not going to engender much public sympathy unless precisely how much they earn is spelled out for Namibians.
During debate on the Public Office Bearers Commission Bill this
week, a number of parliamentarians had a lot to say about their
employment conditions, ranging from long working hours, poor
pension and medical aid benefits, and paltry remuneration.
Some went as far as to allege that they could not eat when they
went on official travel; others complained that if the situation
continued, people would not be able to distinguish "an ordinary
Namibian worker from an African MP".
Since Independence, political leaders in this country have
insisted on good remuneration for political office bearers, saying
that if they were well looked after financially, it would make it
more difficult for corruption to set in.
We were, therefore, led to believe that MPs were decently
paid.
Now, however, they are claiming this is not the case.
Although we do not have access to official information regarding
their packages, one MP did tell a reporter that his take-home pay
amounted to about N$17 000 a month, and that approximate annual
remuneration was in the area of N$300 000.
Cabinet Ministers, of course, earn substantially higher incomes,
but it is a daunting process to find out precisely what they get,
as we are required to put the request in writing to the Secretary
of Parliament, who in turn would pass it on to the Cabinet
Secretariat and Prime Minister's Office for release of this
information.
It is also difficult for us to spell out to the public precisely
what MPs earn, as this information is not readily accessible
(although it should be in the public domain).
To complicate matters, many MPs have other business interests,
but we cannot furnish further information on this either, as
Government has been loath to make the Declaration of Interests of
MPs available to the public.
Other aspects, such as the S&Ts payable on official trips,
are equally difficult to ascertain.
In short, Government must make these figures available to the
public.
They have the right to know because taxpayers are footing the
bill.
We do not argue against proper remuneration for MPs, merely for
the right information to impart to the public for them to
judge.
We would also support the establishment of an independent
commission to determine the remuneration packages of MPs in a
transparent manner..
Some went as far as to allege that they could not eat when they
went on official travel; others complained that if the situation
continued, people would not be able to distinguish "an ordinary
Namibian worker from an African MP".Since Independence, political
leaders in this country have insisted on good remuneration for
political office bearers, saying that if they were well looked
after financially, it would make it more difficult for corruption
to set in.We were, therefore, led to believe that MPs were decently
paid.Now, however, they are claiming this is not the case.Although
we do not have access to official information regarding their
packages, one MP did tell a reporter that his take-home pay
amounted to about N$17 000 a month, and that approximate annual
remuneration was in the area of N$300 000.Cabinet Ministers, of
course, earn substantially higher incomes, but it is a daunting
process to find out precisely what they get, as we are required to
put the request in writing to the Secretary of Parliament, who in
turn would pass it on to the Cabinet Secretariat and Prime
Minister's Office for release of this information.It is also
difficult for us to spell out to the public precisely what MPs
earn, as this information is not readily accessible (although it
should be in the public domain).To complicate matters, many MPs
have other business interests, but we cannot furnish further
information on this either, as Government has been loath to make
the Declaration of Interests of MPs available to the public.Other
aspects, such as the S&Ts payable on official trips, are
equally difficult to ascertain.In short, Government must make these
figures available to the public.They have the right to know because
taxpayers are footing the bill.We do not argue against proper
remuneration for MPs, merely for the right information to impart to
the public for them to judge.We would also support the
establishment of an independent commission to determine the
remuneration packages of MPs in a transparent manner..