Shameful and immoral!

Bishop Dr Alvin Bailey, head of the Holiness Christian Church and president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance (JEA), has described the decision by the Government to substantially increase the salaries of parliamentarians as a “blatant and unconscionable assault on the country’s fiscal standing”. He has called on the Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke to withdraw the plan, which he said was a “shameful and immoral decision”.

“This move shows insensitivity on the part of Government, especially as the minister cited economic constraints as the reason he appealed to members of the public sector to accept the recent compensation packages that were below their expectations,” Bishop Bailey said.

In addition, he said it seemed the minister of finance had short changed many hard-working Jamaicans in order to guarantee high salaries for his colleagues and political friends, with the approval of the Opposition – the latter which, he said, is now backtracking on its support following public outcry.

Bailey said that the acceptance by the parliamentarians of the “unjustifiable, astronomical increases in salaries” at this time has seriously compromised their moral authority, especially as they are yet to convince the average Jamaican that they are giving value for money in representing the needs of the citizens, as well as managing the country’s resources with equity and without giving priority to their personal greed.

“This latest round of proposed salary increases, guaranteed over three years, has demonstrated that both Government and Opposition members are seeking to secure their standard of living in the coming years, which will be way above that of the average Jamaican,” Bishop Bailey noted in a release to the media.

The clergyman said he would be promoting a public campaign, with the support of the Church, private sector and all well-thinking Jamaicans both locally and abroad, to speak out against this injustice to the citizens of Jamaica.

Bailey said he was prepared to protest until the increase was satisfactorily reviewed.As at April 1, 2023, Cabinet ministers will take home an annual salary of $20.2 million.

The prime minister’s salary jumps by 214 per cent, with his pay moving from $9.1 million in 2021 to $28.6 million on April 1, 2024. Effective April 1, the head of government will get $25.3 million annually.

The increases form part of the new rates under the public sector compensation system announced by Clarke in Parliament Tuesday afternoon.

Cabinet ministers have received a 230 per cent increase in salary up to April 1, 2024 with their pay moving from $6.9 million in 2021 to $22.9 million next year.