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| Opinion |
| My Turn |
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by
Adamson Muula, 28 July 2006
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09:18:15
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MPs demand justifiable?
The recent demand by our Honourable Members of Parliament to have what can be considered a massive remuneration increase deserves a lot of debate. Captains of the industry have already expressed their disapproval mainly based on the fact that the national budget can hardly support such expenditure but also that the nation needs to invest in ensuring that poverty reduces and not increase consumption by the 193 people that deliberate in the august House.
As we all debate the issue, we need also to examine their basis for a remuneration demand. Firstly, it is the cost of living which has gone up. Interestingly, however, the cost of living has not just gone up for the MPs supermarket.
There is no dedicated supermarket where MPs are expected to buy from. So, the argument that the cost of living has gone up, although true, calls for consideration of increases in remuneration packages for most people who draw their salaries from the national coffers.
People can get more pay because of the simple supply and demand issue of goods and services. If, for instance, not many people want to become MPs, but the country desperately needs them, we could raise the stakes. Pay the MPs well, so that you attract people to choose to be MPs. Our situation is not like that.
The supply is not lean. It is also possible to suggest that MPs do have particular or unique skills and therefore need to be compensated accordingly. This could be true to some of our MPs but the majority are fairly replaceable, as they have no unique skills that the country will miss. In fact, a review of the Hansard can clearly indicate that the majority of the MPs do not contribute actively during deliberations.
It can be argued that the job of an MP is way beyond the House and most of the work is done in the constituency (the House). True for some, as the majority, especially those with rural constituencies, spend their time in Blantyre, Mzuzu and Lilongwe.
I must confess what our MPs are getting can be described as peanuts when they compare with their Kenyan counterparts. In Kenya, an MP gets about Sh 800,000 (Sh=shillings) as basic salary. Sh77 is equivalent to U$1—the Kenyan Sh is much stronger than the Malawi kwacha. On top of that there is Sh70,000 house allowance, Sh247,000 per month for vehicle maintenance allowance, Sh 60,000 entertainment allowance, Sh50,000 constituency allowance and Sh 30,000 extraneous allowance.
When you add everything else and other smaller allowances, the Kenyan MP gets more than K2 million. Does that then suggest that our MPs ought to receive K1 million or K2 million? If yes, the same argument can be said about every other government department, unit or agency. The Chief of Kenya’s Anti-corruption Authority Mr Justice Aaron Ringera earns Sh 2.5 million. President Mwai Kibaki earns Sh 2 million, on top of staying for free at State House. A teacher earns about Sh20,000 per month, but the Chief Justice of Kenya exceeds Sh1 million in monthly remuneration.
The inequalities are so blatant and huge as to be immoral and not justifiable. The same situation could occur in Malawi if one group, and it doesn’t matter which that group is, gets a K1 million of government money as remuneration while the majority continue to be grounded by poverty. I certainly do not care how many university degrees one may have, but if we are going to work under the same Republic of Malawi, we need to harmonise and reduce the gaps. Should then MPs not get K1 million per month?
I guess they can get the money as long as the lowest paid civil servant gets something like K100,000. Am I joking? No, K100,000 is just one-tenth of K1 million. If God asks 10 percent in tithes, He certainly knew that one-tenth of one’s income is not that much for that person. Now can the lowest paid civil servant earn K100,000 in Malawi now? I don’t think so. But the K1 million that I hear MPs are demanding can support the recurrent expenditure of a district hospital like Chitipa and Karonga per month. K1 million can pay for the remuneration of about 30 medical doctors in Malawi’s Ministry of Health.
It is ironic that our MPs swear to defend the Constitution. Our Republican Constitution states: “The State shall take measures to introduce reforms aimed at eradicating social injustices.” It also says: “The State has a responsibility to respect the right to development and to justify its policies in accordance with this responsibility.” And this one I like: “Every person shall have the right to fair and safe labour practices and to fair remuneration.” Is K1 million per month fair remuneration or unfair compensation?
—The author is a lecturer at College of Medicine writing in his own capacity. |
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