Opposition misleading House on salary increase- Minister Adams-Patterson

GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, December 6, 2016

As the second day of the National Budget Debates continued in the National Assembly, today, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams-Patterson criticised the opposition for harping over the government ministers’ salary increase, but when they were offered an increase, they refused it.

Minister Patterson said that she often hears the opposition side of the House speaking of the “increased salary Ministers received and the big salary Ministers are getting.”

The Minister stated that the Opposition MPs received increases on their Members of Parliament (MPs) salaries and they informed the House that they were not accepting it but they will be putting the money into a special bank account and will refund the money to the National Assembly.

Minister Patterson asked the Opposition MPs “what is the bank balance to-date and how many charities they have donated money to?”  The Minister said that “there is a case of acute amnesia on that side of the House.”

Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, rising on a Point of Order said “the Parliamentary
Opposition never did say such a thing. “We went on record in a public statement, the honourable member has misled the house and we have public statements in the media that have been reported that say completely opposite.”

Teixeira said the Clerk of the National Assembly has letters from the opposition MPs deducting $23,755 which is the increase that they received and it is in a bank account under the name of the parliamentary opposition and it’s a record of the House.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said “the question is not whether the money is being placed in an account or being taken home and spent, it is members of the parliament who are drawing down on their money, and it is misleading.”

By Gabreila Patram