Apply private sector criteria to these leaders/servants/employees of the people. Imagine that The Bahamas was a private company................. The Bahamas Co. Ltd.

DO YOU THINK THEY DESERVE A RAISE, BETTER BENEFITS AND BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS BASED ON THEIR PAST PERFORMANCE (40 YEARS)??????????

May as well lock down commenting on this one, there is going to be a riot!! HELL NO you worthless crooks, you do not deserve a 'raise'...and only when our financial position improves we should consider a new parliament building.

After all the great job of course. Tripling your salary will do the trick? Let us just ask the Chinese to lend us some more to cover it. You want gold faucets in the new parliament? Anything for you. We understand stealing does not cover your life styles any more let us remedy the situation real quick.

I thought we were broke and needed to raise revenue/taxes not massively increase spending...defense force boats 200million+, raise MP's salary and benefits, new parliament millions.

Come on guys!!!

They are already spending the money meant to be coming in from VAT...and that money was meant to go 100% towards debt reduction...VAT is a smokescreen, the government just wants more money to spend, they have no intention of reducing any debt.

Are MPs/Cabinet members civil servants????????????????? Civil servants dont get their salaries, pensions benefits, allowances, work schedules, immunities etc ??

This is some serious exploitation of the common man.

This is glorified dictatorship at its best!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell these MPs go buy some Chiney brush or Viagra if they want a raise!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

PS .....do they need a raise to take care of the gravy train and the doll houses??????

The folks who voted these folks in have no right to complain. You get what you voted for. Thanks Again for nothing. Voters KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB. Miss HAI yet?

He got his share of the booty and left.. twice. No different. Just more of the same. These guys love to raid the cookie jar.

Now they can explain how these career politicians got so wealthy if the pay & benefit package is so low as they describe. Then they can explain how M.P's qualified for $1,000000 plus loans from B.O.B

Put the fox in the hen house and here's what you have. These people were elected to serve us and all they do is serve themselves. Our MP in South Abaco, the turncoat Edison, is like a ghost. No one sees him (except at certain ceremonial "functions," he has no office (but still takes home his $1500/month in operating costs), and doesn't pick up his damn telephone when you call him. Absolutely worthless! And I only speak of him because he's "my" MP - I am sure many other MPs are similar in their constituencies. But, these people want a pay RAISE? You got to be kidding me...

Does the quoted MP salary include car, chauffeur or other perks? If not, the salary is actually higher.

Ludicrous, they're not worth minimum wage!
perhaps the wages paid prisoners in Fox Hell.

Fred Mitchel says the old parliament building is 'too cramped and intimate'. Wonder exactly what did he mean.

Let's put him in Foxhill Prison for a month as a case study? Just to enable him to gain first hand experience?

An MP makes $28,000 a Cabinet Minister makes $66,000 and a PM makes $84,000 ........ So Perry makes about $200,000 in a country with a $8 billion GDP economy. While Obama makes $400,000 in a $16 Trillion GDP economy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is overpaid/underpaid??????????

Wonder how much money Perry makes from his endorsements? (Obama over $10 million)

Now the US Congressmen are well paid as compared to our MPs ........... monkey see monkey do

Many of them like Perry and Bj and some others know this is their last lap (in politics). So they trying to see they self and they family straight before dey go. and they friends too.

Believe In Bahamians first,well the majority got what they wanted,the gold rush is enriching themselves whilst we sit on the sides and collect the crumbs.welcome to the all for me baby administration,they are going to bankrupt this country before our very eyes.

True.................... before they ask for more money, a transparent disclosure of each MP should be done, then an independent evaluation should be done based on a scientific survey of each constituency to grade their performance ( annual evaluation) and then a full accounting by the Auditor General's Office of the funds of each MP be done.

Then, we can have a better view if these MPs are really stewards of the citizens/money

Lets look at something else................... most of these MPs are either self employed as doctors, lawyers, accountants, dentists, or entrepreneurs. The vast majority of them make far more money than the average Bahamian. let alone civil servants. For them, $28,000 is just like an allowance to begin with. ......................... how can it be when they have a real day job.

On top of that, most MPs in the government are paid for every other position they hold e.g. Cabinet, Executive Chairman, Speaker, Parliamentary Secretary, Ambassador etc. If you do that in the Civil Service it is called "moonlighting" or "double dipping" ....................

But not to to these fellas. Different strokes for different folks. THAT IS WHY MOST BAHAMIANS ARE UPSET.

FYI.....I need more money too!

Soooooooooo if the MPs get more........... you will get more????????