By Gabriel Lahoc
Bulolo MP Sam Basil is against the budgeted pay rise for Members of Parliament, announcing to his district that he “didn’t get into parliament to get a pay rise, but to bring development and services down to the people.”
Mr Basil said this on Monday during the launch of the EMTV and Australian Network signals into Lekluk village in Mumeng Local Level Government area.
He described as “ridiculous” the decision of the Somare government, seeing it as another luxury item on the Government’s wish list.
The Government passed the 2011 national budget last week and gave a massive 52 per cent salary increase, which Mr Basil argued should have been spent on other important government sectors which will have a direct impact on the people and communities.
“We the MPs are getting an extra K80,000 while the Prime Minister is getting another K100,000, which I believe is not the people’s wish,” said Mr Basil.
He also announce that for all future bills and acts presented in parliament to be enacted and amended, he will firstly consult the people through mass opinion polls in the LLGs and vote accordingly in Parliament.
Several leaders speaking on behalf of the Leklu community, which has a population of more than 2000 people, openly challenged him to continue to bring community impacted projects and give to the people all that is rightfully theirs.
Comments
What about the people? What about the children dying with
What about the people? What about the children dying with cholera in the Western Province? What about the children that can't afford to go to school or the ones that have no school in their community to go to? What about the people who are dying from lack of the simplest medical facilities and antibiotics? What about the mothers who have to give birth to our children on the cold dirty corridors of hospitals because there are not enough beds? Why can't the money from the MP's pay rise go to alleviate some of the poverty that is all around us? Poverty that is drowning and burying us alive in a deep dark abyss. How can a MP, who while campaigning with passion that he/she is going to bring change and development and what ever else to his/her people manage to completely ignore them (the people)? I mean are the people that stupid? Are they that ignorant? Can their vote be bought with a mobile phone and some hundred bucks? And spend the next 4 years in poverty and them to believe the crap from the next contestants who will again buy their vote with sweet talk, some merchandise and cash then go on to do the same 'nothing' like the last pudgy bloke?
Open your eyes Papua Nuigini!!! Every MP who was in favour of the pay rise should not be voted in again. You can see all to clearly form that one situation who's need they are really there to serve- there own.