EDITORIAL - Get serious about MPs' pay

It had not been said whether its recent agreement on the schedule for the payment of salaries to public-sector workers, outstanding for more than two years, will apply to parliamentarians.

We are, however, not surprised by this lack of clarity by the administration. For, increasing the pay of MPs is one of those hot-button issues that governments tend to tiptoe around out of fear of public backlash.

Nonetheless, it is high time the country end the pussyfooting and come to a firm, mature decision on the remuneration of those elected to sit in the legislature and run our Government, who, as this newspaper has said in the past, are inadequately paid.

It is, of course, understandable why politicians are these days wary of not only voting themselves more pay, but engaging in an intelligent discussion on the matter. They, and the institutions they inhabit, are, as many recent studies have affirmed, held in low esteem.

For example, a 2010 study by University of the West Indies researchers, as part of a wider review of people's attitude to democracy in the Western Hemisphere, found that only 40 per cent of Jamaicans felt the Government was a credible institution, a eight percentage slippage of two years earlier.

A mere 33 per cent of the adult population trusts our Parliament, down by nine percentage points from 2008. Support for democracy also declined over the period - by seven points to 70 per cent. Moreover, the majority of the people, 56 per cent, were dissatisfied with the way our democracy worked. The coup de grce is perhaps that 81 per cent perceive public officials to be corrupt, even though only few persons had first-hand experience of corruption.

The lack of confidence in the political elite and the institutions of government and governance is explainable, in part, by the poor economic and social outcomes of our country for the nearly 50 years of independence. Annual GDP expansion has averaged under three per cent, crime is high, and the quality of education is low, to highlight a few of the issues. Against this backdrop, there is the assumption that politicians - and other public officials - take their low-wage position to be in a position to grab the spoils.

Pay for quality

Low wages are not the best way to attract the most talented people to politics; and it is certainly not the best way to keep those who come honest. It is little wonder that even high-minded new entrants are soon imbued with the gang-like culture that pervades the major political parties.

The approach to reform the gangs must be multi-faceted, including decent compensation for MPs and ministers of government. Clearly, basic pay of $5 million a year for the prime minister, and under $3 million for an MP, won't cut it - at least not if the country is serious about quality leadership.

Nearly a decade ago, the former Patterson administration appointed a committee led by Oliver Clarke, the chairman of this newspaper, to look at the matter. It came up with some creative ideas, including capping annual pay hikes to MPs to the average inflation of our major trading partners. There would also be incentive payments based on specific and measurable performance targets.

The Clarke report is a good basis to start a serious discussion on the matter.

Correction:

In yesterday's editorial, Dr Kennedy Simmonds was referred to as the prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis. Dr Simmonds is a former prime minister. The current prime is Dr Denzil Douglas.

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