The Standing Orders Committee of the Parliament has been directed to deliberate on the request of the opposition to have lawmakers paid for several past months. According to PM Roosevelt Skerrit, lawmakers in the opposition claim that they ought to be paid from the day after a general election instead of the day they took oath of allegiance for their offices.
Skerrit pointed out that former PM Edison James, former Roseau Central MP Norris Prevost, Salisbury Constituency MP Hector John, and Roseau North MP Danny Lugay clamour that the salaries of the Clerk and Speaker of the House as well as other parliamentarians should be paid from the day following a general election instead of the day they took office.
Skerrit said it is the duty of the Standing Orders Committee to look into such matters and that they must consider the issue and report back to the House. He however noted that while the committee can invite anyone to be part of the deliberations, the existing standing orders may be amended if the committee would endorse the requests.
The prime minister made it clear that if the opposition had their way, former PM James’ salary payments may be revisited from 1990 when he became a parliamentarian; and lawmakers who had ever served in the House since 1978 may have their salaries, gratuity, and pensions revisited for payment.
If the clerk of the House and the Speaker would have taken that decision, then you would understand you would have opened a Pandora’s box and then there would be a serious complication of the system, because every parliamentarian from 1978 would have to be dealt with in terms of their salary, in terms of their gratuity, in terms of their pension.
Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica
Skerrit said the best approach to adopt is that – going forward – the salaries of parliamentarians should be considered from the day following the general elections, and that of senators be considered from the day following their appointment. He noted that it is best to have this approach implemented anew rather than backtracking it for many years past.
The parliamentary representative for Mahaut Constituency, Rayburn Blackmoore, berated the opposition for the demands, saying they are making such terrible request when they are fully aware that the country cannot afford it.
“These guys don’t want to work; it just takes and take and take…,” Blackmoore remarked. “No money; the country is broke, but you want to go back 20 years to get money from the public’s purse.”
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