‘Public is wrong over issue of raise in M.P. salaries’

By KYLE WALKINE

Tribune Staff Reporter

kwalkine@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday that public opinion on the issue of MPs getting a raise and a new Parliament is “wrong” and “pure foolishness”.

He called the existing Parliament structure a “dump” and lamented the fact that members of Parliament have virtually no privacy from the public inside the facility.

The Fox Hill MP, during his contribution to the 2014/2015 budget debate, defended recent recommendations from a Parliament select committee for the construction of a new Parliament and an independent review of MP’s salaries and allowances.

He said the recommendations are “sensible and reasonable”, despite there being criticism from the public and the opposition that there are more pressing issues in the country to be dealt with besides parliamentarians getting a raise. 

Mr Mitchell said when it comes to a new Parliament, allowances and increased salaries for MPs, people will always say it is not the right time.

Mr Mitchell insisted there are too many people within the public domain over-exaggerating the issue saying, “For the Lord’s sake; for the love of God, let’s stop carping and complaining and get on with it. Just do it.

“(There’s) too much talk about this. Just do it. 

“It does not mean that because you are planning various matters or discussing various items that you cannot also take care of other needs,” the MP added. 

“It is not a zero sum game. You can walk and chew gum at the same time. Or as someone else said, you can praise God and pass the ammunition.”

Last month, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage read a report by a committee comprised of both Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Free National Movement (FNM) MPs requesting that parliamentarians’ salaries and allowances be reviewed. The report also suggested that a new Parliament complex be built.  

According to Mr Mitchell, since the report was delivered there has been much ill-informed and inaccurate commentary.

“I constantly ask myself what the heck is wrong with some folk in this country,” the MP said, questioning the basis for the public’s argument. 

One of those in disagreement with the raise was Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader Branville McCartney, who stressed that parliamentarians should not be seeking a raise when other hard working and deserving citizens should be the first to get a raise. 

However, The Fox Hill MP said some MPs spend their time “begging for money” to maintain their constituency. 

“Most MPs today are subsidising their offices out of their pockets,” he said. “That is simply wrong.”

Mr Mitchell continued his argument for a new Parliament saying, “Look at this place. It is a dump.

“The staff is sitting upon one another, packed in like the poor, three to a bed. The bathrooms are shared with the public and the members and the staff. The facilities for the press are inadequate. No offices for members and no privacy when meeting constituents. It is impossible.

“It is disgraceful that in 2014 we are still in a building built to reflect the choices and styles of a country in the early 19th century in 2014 and we say that this reflects what we are today. If this is what reflects what we are today, we are in a sad state. I say it does not and we need a new building.”

Last month Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis said giving politicians a raise would remove the temptation of them doing wrong. 

The House Speaker has an $80,000 a year salary while his deputy receives $32,000. An MP’s salary is $28,000 a year.

Parliamentarians have not received a raise in 25 years. 

Comments

sheeprunner12 says...

Fred Mitchell is becoming more looney as the days go by..................... please retire, you have NO legacy.

Posted 12 June 2014, 12:23 p.m. Suggest removal

asiseeit says...

Mr. Mitchell, what is wrong with people in this country is that they need a representatives that work for the people and the nation as a whole not for their party, themselves, and their cronies only. The country is broke but I doubt that one M.P. is making less than $40,000 a year while the MAJORITY of Bahamians are scraping by on less than $20,000. Are you people that out of touch with the reality of day to day life. Oh, maybe if you where In the country you would GET it. I would love to see you TRY and make it OUTSIDE the golden roost you now sit in, without your political connections, you would sing a different tune my boy!

Posted 12 June 2014, 1:09 p.m. Suggest removal

jlcandu says...

This coming from Mr. Mitchell, who blew his annual travel budget within the first few months of being in office!!! It's easy to complain when you are spending someone else's money!!!

Mr. Mitchell, now is not the time to be building a new Parliament OR PM's residence. Fix the crime problem, fix the poverty problem, fix the education system... There are more pressing matters in this country than YOUR working conditions, which YOU only show up very infrequently.

Of course, you can't expect anything better from someone who thinks that everyone who doesn't agree with him is an idiot. Must be a very small world for you, Mr. Mitchell.

Posted 12 June 2014, 1:22 p.m. Suggest removal

mangogirl01 says...

Well mudda sic, this man head gone, gone!! He too full of hot air and pompous! He really is delusional and needs to keep in mind that he works for us!!

Posted 13 June 2014, 12:38 p.m. Suggest removal

Honestman says...

Mitchell says: "I constantly ask myself what the heck is wrong with some folk in this country,”

Answer: we keep voting embittered egomaniacs and unscrupulous incompetents into government!

Posted 12 June 2014, 1:38 p.m. Suggest removal

sansoucireader says...

Funny, I keep asking the same thing about him.

Posted 12 June 2014, 9:31 p.m. Suggest removal

Thinker says...

So, once again, the Public doesn't have a clue. These people are spitting in our faces, daily, and getting paid for it with our hard earned income.

Posted 12 June 2014, 1:54 p.m. Suggest removal

Thinker says...

They haven't received a raise in 25 years, but taxes going up up up. How convenient, the timing is impeccable. Lazy thieves.

Posted 12 June 2014, 1:55 p.m. Suggest removal

jt says...

Sharing a bathroom with common peasants? Disgusting. Wow, Mr. Mitchell, every time you open your mouth you insult the voting population. What the heck is wrong with you?

Posted 12 June 2014, 2:48 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

Fox Hill constituency must have the dumbest voters ever............ except for Over the Hill and South Andros

Posted 12 June 2014, 3:14 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

If theirs keys largely contain money from Nygard, BOB non-compliant loans, 5000 per contract bribe money, at the end of the day, what are they complaining about?

Seriously I'd like to know what they're doing, I have not seen one open constituency office **ever**, what are they doing to **earn** an increase in pay! what are they doing to earn what they are currently getting.

Notice to all: if you care more about working in a fancy new building and how much you're paid than you do for the country, sit your backside home and don't run to represent anyone. We simply don't have the money to finance your fanciful idea of being a rich and famous high flying executive. Get a job in the private sector, you will NEVER be prime minister.

Posted 12 June 2014, 3:41 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

"*if their **pockets**...*" annoying auto-correction...

Posted 12 June 2014, 5:03 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

I have never seen someone so clearly unsuited for public SERVICE

Posted 12 June 2014, 3:42 p.m. Suggest removal

ohdrap4 says...

> “Reader, suppose you were an idiot.
> And suppose you were a member of
> Parliament. But I repeat myself.”


― Mark Twain, paraphrased

Posted 12 June 2014, 5:55 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

How many of yall notice that many of the politicians speak of Bahamians as "dumb" or "misinformed" ?????????? What does that suggest about our choices for leaders!!!!!!

Posted 12 June 2014, 3:44 p.m. Suggest removal

DillyTree says...

When Mr. Mitchell and the rest of Parliament can justify their raises, I think we should give them one. However, I've not seen one iota to justify any raise. Try this line of thinking in the private sector and see how far it gets.

In this failing economy, he wants a new House so he doesn't have to use the bathroom with peasants? Talk about being out of touch. If this miserable government would reduce their out of control spending and add a little common sense, we might just have a Bahamas to save. At the rate they are going, then add VAT, wage increases, non-reduced custom tariffs, and other idiotic taxes and fees, our cost of living expenses have just jumped 35 - 45%. Who can afford this? Oh, and jobs? They will go by the wayside as soon as businesses can no longer afford to keep employees or do business and shut down, leaving lots more unemployment yet to come. Where does the madness end?

And why does Flyaway Fred call everything "foolishness" when he doesn't agree with it? Poor Fred is completely delusional. Time to retire.

Posted 12 June 2014, 4:23 p.m. Suggest removal

Purcell says...

You should have no privacy from the public you elitist fuck.

Posted 12 June 2014, 4:34 p.m. Suggest removal

august2013 says...

Funny eh? Everyone is crying tings tough...officer's can't get an increase and MP's "**need**" increase. You gat to be joking. When the PLP came to power they said there was no money... and even now they are borrowing money just to make ends meet and you are talking about raise. The speaker of the house, his salary should to be cut to $ 70,000 and take the extra $10,000 and add it to the deputy speaker's salary. I agree with "thisisours"! ***"if you care more about working in a fancy new building and how much you're paid than you do for the country, sit your backside home and don't run to represent anyone. We simply don't have the money to finance your fanciful idea of being a rich and famous high flying executive. Get a job in the private sector"*** You MP's suppose to be smart and intelligent. If someone offers you a job and tells you in advance the salary you will earn, if you can't live with it...then don't take the job. These men seem as though they took the job, knowing well that the salary would not sustain them and now they are trying to justify a raise. When things are bad in a company, no one gets a raise. Things are bad in the Bahamas and **NO** MP should receive a raise... in fact they should go around collecting all the outstanding monies owed to the government and receive a 10% commission on that...I think that's a good incentive. We should then be looking pretty good if we can collect at least 50% of the outstanding and then we can consider a new **HOA** or raise. And from my recollection in business, raises begin at the bottom. ***You take care of your lower level employee's before taking care of yourself***. That is what sacrifice is all about. So you MP's have a long way to go before you **should** see an increase. Yeah...I agree the MP salary are "off" but do some adjustments within...clearly some are receiving too little when other are receiving much more than their counterpart. That need fixing, but don't use the tax payers money to make the adjustments, because at the end of the day the money will still be off in the next 25 years. Create a salary scale and STICK TO IT!

Posted 12 June 2014, 4:38 p.m. Suggest removal

august2013 says...

And I voted ***PLP.***..so **it's not political**...it is *sensible*!

Posted 12 June 2014, 4:49 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

Who can STOP them from raising their salaries, benefits and allowances????? The peasants??????? Paris1789?????

Posted 12 June 2014, 6:05 p.m. Suggest removal

The_Oracle says...

Funny how they encourage and expect the ignorance and work it in their favor at election time,
then decry it otherwise!
Careful, seems someone would wear a crown!

Posted 12 June 2014, 5:48 p.m. Suggest removal

Bahamianpride says...

Mr. Mitchell, the public is your Boss & to call your boss foolish is idiotic. He thinks he sits on a mountain above the people he serves, the Bahamian people must remind him & all politicians who step out of line who their employer is.

Posted 13 June 2014, 6:21 a.m. Suggest removal

BiminiHomeowner says...

Why don't they pool all their bribe money together and pay for a new building?

I'm sure they have more than enough...

Posted 13 June 2014, 8:33 a.m. Suggest removal

Well_mudda_take_sic says...

Freddie Boy, let's try get things "straight" here (pun fully intended). You more than any MP in the history of our parliamentary democracy love the trappings of public office (almost as much as you love yourself). You are so enamored by all the hobnobbing you get to do with other government elitists of your ilk during your many lavish trips abroad at the expense of the poor peasant voters you loathe to mingle with back home. YOU WANT PRIVACY FROM THE POOR PEASANT VOTERS, FREDDIE BOY.....THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST CRAWL BACK INTO YOUR OWN LITTLE CLOSET?! (once again, pun fully intended!!)

Posted 13 June 2014, 9:38 a.m. Suggest removal

Rinks says...

What a disgrace......just shut up and go retire if it is so bad.But wait you just can't wait to get there to live of the tax payers money.

Posted 13 June 2014, 9:43 a.m. Suggest removal

All4One says...

For someone who consistently touts his own intelligence, Mr. Mitchell seems to suffer from a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease. How on earth can he make such a sweeping, MORONIC statement as 'the public is wrong'??? On the face of it, MPs 'salaries' seem modest, but NOTHING prohibits them from continuing with their 'day jobs' while serving. Not to mention the numerous perks from which they benefit. I don't know about any of you, but no one has ever stopped traffic or held a flight for me! The only exception would be if they hold a Cabinet post; but then the salary issue goes away, and, considering the apathetic job most of them do, they are richly compensated.

Fred Mitchell really needs a serious reality check. He is NOT the only educated person in this country, and his constant disdain for us 'common' folks is beyond infuriating. He cannot seriously aspire to become PM if he continues to display such unveiled contempt for the populace!! My prayer is that the days of blind allegiance to a party, rather than the individual, will be behind us in the not too distant future.

Posted 13 June 2014, 10:13 a.m. Suggest removal

mangogirl01 says...

Brainwashed PLP, beer and t-shirts muppets are easy to spot too!!

Posted 13 June 2014, 12:44 p.m. Suggest removal

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