A matter of timing

LET us not be drawn into a debate that is driven by which side a person falls within the partisan divide. Let us not be drawn into debate as to whether or not it was done to give the impression that all is right with the economy or to ensure a certain level of pension. Let us just call it what it truly is – a matter of bad timing.

 

No one should begrudge anyone the right to collect their full salary. Of course not! After all, a man or woman should be rightfully paid for whatever they work for.

 

However, it is a hard sell to continue to tell those making 10 times less than you to ‘hold strain’ when you are not. It is especially even a more bitter pill to swallow when those persons are dealing with higher rates in various taxes and living expenses, but yet are dealing with no concomitant raise in pay and are facing an ailing social and economic infrastructure due to the hits that have kept coming year after year since 2007. Just consider those who have to pay high road taxes and still have to end up shelling out money that they cannot afford to the mechanic after incurring damages after dropping into a pothole or those who have to leave out paying one bill to pay another each month.

 

To add further insult to injury, some citizens have yet to receive their 2013, much less 2014 income tax or VAT refunds, and with a large section of the Barbadian working public living paycheque to paycheque and depending on these returns to pay bills like road and land tax, car or house insurance, or to buy textbooks and uniforms for their children, the absence of these are highly noticeable.

 

The restoration will also hurt those hundreds who were left on and those still on the breadline following the retrenchment programme, as for several of them 10 per cent of a Minister’s salary would have been almost their entire month’s wage.

 

On a wider scope, with the decision directly following the Governor of the Central Bank’s edict that Government cannot afford to increase expenditure at this time and his call for more stringent measures, the administration’s decision to restore salaries is simply sending the wrong signal at the wrong time.

 

The action taken by Government to cut their salaries by 10 per cent as part of the austerity programme the island was placed under was taken at face value; MPs indicating their willingness to sacrifice during a recessionary period. However, restoring it now is perplexing, considering that the island is still under such a programme.

 

We have heard some members of the Opposition say that they will give theirs to charity, kudos to them, but in an idealistic world all MPs should head out into their constituencies and give those families most in need these funds that they as Parliamentarians have been living comfortably without for the last three years. Those who are truly engaged in the areas they represent are well aware of who these individuals are and for those who are not, now is the opportune time to show why you were elected to be their voice in the House of Assembly.