Deputy Prime Minister Wycliffe Smith has a point (see related story). Although cabinet members took a pay cut to help government cope financially with its steep post-Hurricane Irma drop in revenues, elected representatives are yet to follow suit.
A motion to that effect was brought to Parliament during last year’s budget debate. However, because it was determined that changing the salary structure would be a lengthy legal process, the ministers signed a release to deduct 10 per cent instead from January.
While their initiative is admirable, it would not have hurt them very much as they were getting US $12,090 per month compared to $7,839 and $8,365 for their Dutch Caribbean counterparts in respectively Curaçao and Aruba. Granted, the cost of living is said to be highest in St. Maarten, but that is still a big difference.
Local Members of Parliament (MPs) make US $11,539, which is also considerably more than in Curaçao ($7,111) and Aruba ($6,096). Asking them to contribute just one-tenth of that amount to the national treasury does not seem so unreasonable under the current socioeconomic circumstances.
This newspaper has always held the position that what politicians and public administrators do while in office is of greater importance than how much they make. It’s therefore good to see them meeting if required during so-called “non-meeting weeks” too.
Readers must understand as well that it regards a largely symbolic gesture. Reducing the payslips of seven ministers and possibly 15 parliamentarians alone is obviously not going to solve the country’s financial problems.
Nevertheless, the move does set a positive example and sends a message of solidarity that voters will no doubt appreciate from those who were – after all – chosen to work on their behalf.
