PARLIAMENTARIANS ADVISED AGAINST PUSHING FOR HIKES IN THEIR SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES
By Michael Kaluba
The Democratic Governance and Human Rights Advocates-DEGHA-has implored Members of Parliament not to go ahead and push for hikes in their salaries and other allowances saying the timing is not right considering the harsh economic conditions that ordinary Zambians are facing.
Some media reports indicate that opposition and independent parliamentarians want a 20 percent salary increment to the average of K50, 000 monthly salaries, sitting allowances to increase to K3, 000 from the current K1, 500 per sitting and their car loans allocation to be increased to $120,000 among other benefits.
But DEGHA National Coordinator Gerald Mutelo tells Phoenix News that it is selfish for the people’s representatives to begin pushing for better conditions of service so early into their 5 year term when the people who voted for them are living in poverty.
Mr. Mutelo is of the view that Parliamentarians must wait to ensure that civil servants and the general citizenry that elected them are accorded better living conditions before they can start pushing for their own plight.
PHOENIX NEWS
