Dear Editor,

When asked publicly for a reaction to the pay increases for parliamentarians, my response was “disappointing”. But that is too soft a word.

The reported increases are better described as gross and indecent. It reveals that the Government is out of touch with the reality of the ordinary person in this country. The health-care system is lacking in facilities, nurses are migrating by the dozens, household helpers are struggling, and so are taxi men, who face weekly increases in the price of petrol.

This type of pay increase will only result in anger among the majority who are struggling to make ends meet. Being a Member of Parliament, a prime minister, or a Cabinet minister cannot be seen as a job which pays a dream salary. A part of it must be a desire to serve one’s country and to bear the struggles of the ordinary individual.

I therefore call on the Government to rethink and give its members a 30 per cent increase.

Shirley Richards

sprichards82@yahoo.com