Peter Espeut | Pay rise will lead to declining fortunes

The declining fortunes of the Holness administration are likely to decline further and more swiftly because of the massive pay increases the politicians have just given themselves, as announced this week by Finance Minister Nigel Clarke. I think we have to assume that Holness and Co. possess enough political savvy to have foreseen the backlash. The political strategists in the government will be seized of a keen sense of tactical timing, and we onlookers have to try and figure out the high-stakes chess game that is being played out – move by move – in full public view.

The reclassification exercise undertaken by the Ministry of Finance, which came to a head at the end of the financial year in March, is part of the chess game. The public relations ploy claimed that no one would be worse off at the end of the reclassification, but the enthusiasm with which the government was proceeding certainly gave me the impression that this whole exercise was more for the government’s benefit than civil servants.

Public sector unions were pressured into accepting by the end of March much less than they were bargaining for – much less than they deserved – by threats that if they didn’t sign, they would have to wait another year for their back pay. Already living almost hand-to-mouth, they capitulated, as the chess players in the finance ministry expected. Had public sector unions not caved in by accepting 20-30 per cent wage increases, the minister of finance would not this week have been able to announce 200-300 per cent increases for politicians.

If the public sector unions knew then what they know now (that politicians were about to give themselves 200-300 per cent increases) no amount of pressuring and bullying would have resulted in the acceptance of low levels of increases. Masterful chess playing by the government!

IS THIS ETHICAL?

Surely, if teachers and policemen and air traffic controllers and firemen had been given the responsibility to determine the levels of their own pay rises, they would have awarded themselves more than 20-30 per cent. Surely, allowing politicians to decide the quantum of their own pay increases is a profound conflict of interest! Is this ethical?

Already soured by the less than satisfactory reclassification exercise, and the high-handed bullying by the government negotiators who claimed that the government simply could not do better, this massive increase the politicians have given themselves will be almost indigestible. Surely, the large number of civil servants (all voters) will read this as bad faith by government negotiators? Surely, this discontent will be reflected in the next opinion poll results, indicating certain defeat of the ruling party at the next general election?

But in the grand chess game, more moves are coming. Remember: the stakes are high!

Notice, too, that this politician salary scandal has thrown the constitution reform debacle on the back burner. The government has seriously mishandled the whole process: the establishment of a non-representative Constitution Reform Committee; the bill to be laid before parliament in less than two weeks is already drafted, without any meaningful public consultation or public education.

This bill – I am told by several impeccable sources – contains the full text of the new constitution which will be voted on in the soon-to-be-announced referendum. This new constitution is basically the old constitution with references to the monarchy and the Commonwealth removed. Public sentiment towards a “NO!” vote is building, and this politician salary scandal is a masterful chess move, driving the constitutional reform debacle from the forefront of public discourse.

NEW CABINET

The next gambit will be the announcement of the new cabinet, which is intended to shove the politician salary scandal into the background. They expect us to be dizzy from scintillating chess moves, such that their egregious follies will be nothing more than nine-day wonders. Not a chance! It is all going to lead to a landslide loss at the next general election. No Nostradamus needed!

Our present constitution (and the warmed-over one coming up) does not require confirmation hearings for appointments to the Senate or the cabinet. Our monarchical prime minister’s proclamation is unchallengeable. The salary announcements for politicians do not have to be confirmed by anyone other than the beneficiaries themselves. These contemporary occurrences point to fundamental flaws in our present constitutional arrangements which confer absolute sovereignty on the prime minister, and lesser sovereignty on his cabinet ministers. The bestowing of massive salary increases would be a wonderful opportunity – for a transformative chief executive seeking a quantum leap forward – to tie pay to performance and accountability. Clearly: that kind of leader we do not have.

The government is seeking to raise the salaries of some public sector workers (those at the political level) to be nearly equivalent to salaries in the private sector. All well and good! But highly paid private sector executives are also highly accountable. Why bestow massive salary increases without corresponding legal requirements for accountability and transparency, including public declaration of assets, and any political donations received? It is likely that the politician salary scandal will have no impact on the high levels of political corruption in Jamaica.

In fact, the chess moves played and about to be played will serve only to increase the perception of political corruption in Jamaica.

The political hacks are in the vast minority. When because of mishandling the referendum is lost by a resounding “NO!” vote, and the ruling party loses the next general election, where will that leave us? We still need to reform the constitution, increase transparency and accountability, and reduce corruption. Better to wheel and come again: appoint a new minister of constitutional and legal affairs and do the job properly!

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com