No one is denying political leaders of a nation should be decently compensated financially. After all, theoretically, the better politicians are paid, the less likely they are to dip their hands into the national coffers. But, for a relatively poor country like Jamaica, to grant the so-called “political class”, consisting of the nation’s prime minister, cabinet ministers, members of parliament, leader of the opposition, city mayors, parish councilors, and permanent secretaries, salary increases ranging from over 200 to 300 percent is disgraceful, shocking, and insensitive.
The shocking increases were announced last week on the heels of unsatisfactory negotiations between public sector workers, including police, teachers, and nurses. While the government finds it possible to grant these public servants only a 30 percent increase in salary, spread over three years, it is a slap in the faces of these workers to offer such hefty pay hikes to the “political class.”
Granting this salary increase, which compounding the shock, is retroactive to April 2022, is for the Andrew Holness administration to either be insensitive to the financial struggles of the Jamaican people; don’t care about their struggles, or simply have no respect for them.
The increases, now make the Jamaican prime minister earn a salary of J$25.2 million, up from J$ 9.2 million, the highest-paid prime minister in CARICOM. Well, in fact, Jamaican parliamentarians as of April 2022, are the highest-paid in the Caribbean community.
Reacting to mostly social media protests over these disgraceful increases in a nation struggling to find economic equilibrium, Jamaica’s finance minister, who announced the salary increases in parliament said, the intent is to pay the “political class” significantly high salaries to attract skilled and talented politicians. This hog-wash was later endorsed by Prime Minister Holness.
A career in politics was never seen as one to gain million-dollar salaries. Historically, most Jamaican politicians were men and women who emerged from Jamaica’s grassroots, committed to serving their constituencies and Jamaica. Some of these people were the subject of raucous humor, by the educated and upper class. Some were criticized as being devoid of social graces, but they nonetheless served the people diligently, and unselfishly. There were also several politicians who sacrificed potential financial rewarding careers in the Jamaican private sector, to enter the political arena and serve the Jamaican people with utmost commitment.
There’s no recollection of an issue where Jamaicans with an interest in politics, complain of parliamentarian salaries being too low to seek political representation. Most enter politics because they seek to serve the people, and bask in the power of winning a parliamentary seat, and possibly higher political office. If there is a shortage of qualified people entering the Jamaican political arena the main reason is the potential for exposure of their personal lives, exposures which are often very intimate and embarrassing.
But, assuming Jamaica’s finance minister and prime minister are right in the reason given for this disgraceful, shocking, and insensitive salary increase. Many of the individuals currently seated in parliament lack formal leadership skills, and college education is normally required for high-skilled, high-paying Jobs in the private sector. So, why are these otherwise unqualified parliamentarians being compensated with salaries more suitable for people with administrative skills and quality education? Why didn’t the government therefore tie the increase in salaries to the skill and educational level of the sitting parliamentarians? But, no, some very unskilled, undereducated politicians are to be paid millions of dollars in salaries.
It’s interesting to observe Jamaica’s opposition party, the People’s National Party, is objecting to the increases, asking the government to postpone the increases, until outstanding issues relevant to public sector workers’ salaries are settled. But there are no indications, despite the tepid protests from some Jamaicans, the government plans to postpone the shocking increases. Unless the PNP’s leadership indicates it rejects, and will not accept, the increase due to their parliamentarians and parish councilors, they will be complicit in the acceptance of the increase.
How can Jamaicans trust a “political class”, that appears oblivious and uncaring to their needs? How can a teacher who can hardly find money to pay her rent give her best in the classroom when she sees the undereducated MP she voted for earning salaries multiple percentages higher than hers?
An interesting commentary circulating on social media criticizes the Jamaican government for taking Jamaicans “for fools.” This certainly seems so. But it also seems the majority of Jamaicans are allowing themselves to be taken for fools. If people struggling to make their financial ends meet, only give tepid lip service to the arrogance, and insensitivity of a government that first seeks to feather the nest of its members, and those elected to parliament, don’t aggressively protest this action, then the government will continue to treat the people as fools.
One may argue, the best way for people to protest this disgraceful, shocking, and insensitive salary increase is at the polls in the next general elections. But recent polls indicate some 46 percent of Jamaicans are either not interested in voting or not sure if they’ll vote in the next general elections.
If people aren’t willing to protest, nor turn out to vote, the government will continue to treat them with contempt, disrespect, and insensitivity to their needs.
