PM Nagamootoo attempts to justify mega salary increases

Amid immense public outcry, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo attempted to justify the astronomical salary increases Government has given itself; declaring that it was utterly unfair that the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams was being paid more than the Prime Minister.

Nagamootoo appeared to be taking the fall and the blame for a scandal that has done massive damage to the image and integrity ratings of the Government.

He admitted that it was for this reason that he requested the super increases in order to develop a “proper” pay scale which would differentiate between the various levels of Government personnel. He also took responsibility for the lack of information initially disseminated to the public regarding the increases.

“The anomaly that started quite a lot of this was the salary for the Attorney General. The Attorney General was getting a salary that was higher than the Prime Minister… so as I told you before, I had asked for more per month… as a matter of principle to correct the abnormality that existed,” he justified.

Nagamootoo explained that Government attempted to correct certain “abnormalities” in the pay scale of the “ministerial bureaucracy”, however, even this eventually proved futile to some extent. According to Nagamootoo, junior Ministers are still being paid less than the Permanent Secretaries, an “abnormality which Government intended to correct) and that the Prime Minister is still being paid less than the Attorney General”.

“The Attorney General’s salary is tax free, so it comes back to a situation where his salary remains higher than the Prime Minister,” Nagamootoo stated, noting that his salary is subjected to tax.

Nagamootoo also admitted to backpedaling on his promise to his constituencies. In responding to the upsurge of criticisms in the public domain regarding the salary increases, he explained that his supporters were indeed holding the Government to a “higher standard”, therefore adding that he “understood” their frustration.

The Prime Minister continuously insisted that the salary increases are not about greed. He also insisted that Government could not have afforded to increase the salaries of public servants at this time, therefore decided to increase the pay for Ministers and Members of Parliament.

“This was not done because Ministers feel we are entitled to super salaries, it was an adjustment for a handful of persons that the State could have afforded at this point in time rather than engaging the larger issue of public service that would have involved another type of calculations and affordability in terms of the quantum,” he said.

Moreover, Nagamootoo promised that the public servants will be attended to in a matter of time. In fact, he said Government is currently waiting until the Commissions of Inquiries are completed before they make a decision regarding an increase for the Public Sector workers.

“We intend shortly to engage trade unions to deal with wages with the public servants,” he said. As it relates to the super salaries, Nagmaootoo affirmed that even amid the public uproar, Government will not be revisiting the remuneration packages.

“This is not about greed,” he continued his mantra. Nagamootoo revealed that he still travels with an economy ticket, that he still lives in his personal abode, that he uses his own money for upgrades to his house… I am trying not to drink anymore”.

Increases

Meanwhile, Nagamootoo confirmed that President David Granger received a five per cent increase while he received a 10 per cent increase.

The new payment packages will see the Prime Minister earning a whopping Gy$20,580,000 per annum, while the other Vice Presidents will each receive Gy$11,135,064.

A Cabinet Minister will be given a huge package of Gy$10,439,124 – annually – more than Gy$300,000 over previous Ministers and a junior Minister or a Minister within a Ministry will be paid Gy$8,346,492 per annum.

Harmon’s justification

Nagamootoo’s justification for the salary increases differs considerably from that given by State Minister Joseph Harmon.

While Nagamootoo tried to exemplify that the increases were done as a matter of principle, Harmon’s justification was that the Ministers needed to be paid better to avoid corruption.

“It is justifiable, we cannot have a situation like the [People’s Progressive Party] PPP where they were prepared to accept low salaries because they were thieving money all over the place… we cannot have that,” he said.