10% salary increment eludes MPS
Members of Parliament have accused government of denying them 10% salary increment, which was agreed upon in April.
During the Extra Ordinary Parliament four months ago, Opposition MPs said the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) backbench had connived with President Masisi to agree on a salary hike as a bribe for them to vote for a motion of State of Public Emergency. (SOPE)
However, speaking in an exclusive interview with The Voice on the sidelines of that Extra Ordinary Parliament then, President Mokgweetsi Masisi had dismissed the accusations as an insult.
“That’s an insult to our MPS. When did we start to use public funds to entice people to vote in a particular way? We did agree two years back to negotiate public servants salaries. Was that a bribe? Asked the president then.
This week, some disappointed MPs told this publication that the 10 percent salary hike was agreed upon after government turned down their demand to use official vehicles for constituency work.
“We were ambushed on this agreement but now government is failing to implement something it forced us into,” they said.
According to the MPs, the increment was to be effected at the end of April but was postponed to end of August.
“Again we agreed on this despite lack of consultation but now we are in August and still there is nothing and no explanation has been offered on why we haven’t been paid our money. We don’t like the game that Morwaeng is playing, he is avoiding us,” they complained. The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Kabo Morwaeng however, said that it would not be proper to address issues concerning MPs through the media.
“If there is an issue that MPs want to address they know proper channels to follow and it does not involve the media,” he said.
