By NOEL BERRY and CEDRIC LAGA
MADANG Governor Sir Arnold Amet believes there is no need to increase the salary or benefits for Members of Parliament.
Sir Arnold was adding his voice to a proposal to increase the allowance and perks for members of parliamentary committees, amid mounting criticisms against these proposed increases.
But despite strong opposition to the proposal, the Government is likely to back the proposal when Parliament sits. This means the public will fork out between K20 million and K30 million to pay for these increases.
A Government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The National that parliamentary committees will definitely get increases in their allowances and perks to boost the respective committees’ efficiency and effectiveness.
The source said that the committee system had not been functioning well in the past because of funding shortfalls and had failed to effectively perform its role as watchdogs scrutinising the workings of government and its agencies.
He said the funding issue was raised in the last session of Parliament late last year with MPs from both sides of the House calling for an increase in funding for committees to function.
PNG workers’ unions as well as Transparency International PNG are opposed to any increase.
Union leaders have described the increase as “most reckless and highly irresponsible, which lacks any moral or economic justification”.
TI PNG strongly disagreed with the proposed increases and questioned why the hikes were necessary.
TI also said parliamentary that the parliamentary committee system had not functioned well in the past.
Speaking to The National at Ogulben outside Mt Hagen last Friday, Sir Arnold, PNG’s former chief justice, said if parliamentarians want a pay increase, they must tell the people why they want an increase.
He said politicians were the people’s servants and must listen to their people protesting against a pay increase.
He said that there were many things to be done in the country with such money.
He said people had every right to protest over the proposed pay increase and Members of Parliament should be responsible of their actions and explain to the people why they want the pay rises..
Sir Arnold said churches and other civil bodies and institutions in the country should stand together with the people and fight moral rot and injustices in the country.
He said he totally agreed with the deputy Opposition leader and Lae Open MP Bart Philemon, who said during the 26th Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea that more than K60 billion was spent since independence but no tangible development had taken place.
He said that K60 billion was a big waste.
“The lack of good governance, transparency and good working relationship is contributing to the lack of development and growth of the nation since independence,” he said.