KARACHI: If four proposed government bills are passed into law by the Sindh Assembly, there will be an astronomical rise in the salaries and allowances of the assembly speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, members of the provincial legislature and special assistants, further burdening Sindh’s already battered and bruised exchequer, Dawn has learnt.
These proposed increases in the lawmakers’ and public servants’ emoluments come at a time when the shadow of the global financial crisis looms large over the province and the nation, with the population already facing increasing joblessness. They also fly in the face of the ‘austerity drive’ promised by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he secured a unanimous trust vote in parliament on March 29, 2008.
According to the proposed draft of the Government Bill No. 5 -- The Sindh Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speakers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill 2009 seen by this reporter, the speaker’s salary has been increased from Rs39,500 to Rs80,000, while the deputy speaker’s salary will go up from Rs35,000 to Rs70,000.
The custodian and the deputy custodian of the house will also be entitled to keep two official cars each, to be maintained at government expense. They will also be entitled to keep mobile phones at government expense along with other perks and privileges. It is not mentioned in the draft if there is any upper limit on the amount to be spent on mobile calls.
Government Bill No 10 -- The Sindh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill 2008, which could not be taken up in the last parliamentary year and was introduced and referred to the house law and parliamentary committee on Thursday, suggests that the salary of provincial ministers be increased to Rs80,000 from the paltry Rs39,000.
The reason stated for the increase is: ‘The central ceiling as laid down in the Sindh Ministers’ Allowances Act 1975 is grossly insufficient as compared to the current market trend and residential accommodation commensurate with the status of a provincial minister.’
It should be mentioned that presently there are 44 ministers in Syed Qaim Ali Shah’s cabinet. That means over Rs3.5 million (Rs80,000 multiplied by 44) would be spent on ministers’ monthly salaries alone.
With regard to the Government Bill No 4 -- The Sindh Assembly Members Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill 2009, increases in several heads have been proposed for provincial legislators. According to one calculation, if all the increases are added up, the total comes to over Rs24,000 per MPA. The travel allowance (increased from Rs3 per kilometre to Rs15 per kilometre) and allowances for mobile usage are separate. Currently, 168 members sit in the house.
The reasons stated for the upwards revision of the members’ emoluments are ‘rising inflation and increase in the cost of living.’
Government Bill No 11 -- The Sindh Special Assistants (Appointment, Powers, Functions, Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill 2008 proposes increasing the special assistants’ salaries from Rs11,000 to Rs22,000.
This bill was also deferred last year and was referred to the house law and parliamentary committee during Thursday’s sitting. At last count, nine special assistants were assisting the Sindh chief minister.
‘Everything okay’
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ayaz Soomro was unable to provide a satisfactory response when this reporter asked him how the representatives of the public could justify salary hikes when many people had already been laid off and large-scale retrenchments were being considered by employers.
‘The honorarium (of lawmakers) has not been increased for years. The government is trying to increase revenue. The government is owed Rs13 billion … the cases are pending in court. The NFC award will also be distributed in a proper fashion. Everything shall be solved if we work together,’ he told media-persons gathered outside the assembly after Thursday’s session.
He added that the raise in lawmakers’ salaries was designed to bring the legislators’ emoluments and benefits closer to other provinces, specifically the Punjab.
A treasury lawmaker this reporter talked to after the session said: ‘It should be a reasonable increase. If lawmakers are getting an increase in salaries, they should come on time and earn their pay.’
It should be recalled that Prime Minister Gilani had called for several measures as part of his austerity drive, which included: ministers to travel in economy class in domestic flights; special counters for parliamentarians to be abolished at airports; the PM House budget to be cut by 40 per cent.
It is difficult to comprehend how the proposed bills will be in consonance with the prime minister’s stated policy. Also, perhaps someone in the Sindh government would like to explain how these ungodly amounts being proposed would look if compared with the measly national minimum wage of Rs6,000.
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