DEBATE TIME - MPS SALARY INCREMENT

LET me confess that I have actually been bullied to say something about the rumour taking rounds on social media that MPs have increased their salaries and I must state the records right.

To start with, it is a strict rule that parliamentarians do not comment on their emoluments no matter how much you are pressed, This I learnt from a very senior MP. But I guess as a new comer I have to break the jinx for the sake of correcting misinformation.

Let me start by stating that the reports at the weekend suggesting that Parliament has increased salaries for MPs is wrong as such a thing has not happened and therefore treat that as propaganda.

The question is should MPs’ earnings be increased?

So there has been a lot of comments relating to this subject and I have picked a few issues Iwant to address such as: what do they (MPs) even do compared to doctors, nurses, managing directors or judges for them to get a pay raise.

Let’s look at an MP from this perspective and I will give myself as an example.

1. I travel to my constituency every weekend unless I have work in Lusaka. The fuel for my car from Lusaka to Kitwe and for the weekend errands is K1 800.and so to and from Lusaka to spend K4, 000 just on fuel every weekend.

That means I spend K20, 000 on fuel for my trips to the constituencies. There are some MPs who spend K6000 and more on fuel to and from their constituencies.

My weekly fuel expenditure is K1, 500 meaning K6, 000 per month.

That makes it K26, 000 as what I spend on fuel for a month.

Because I travel every weekend, I have to service my car almost once every month and the cost is around K3, 500 because the car is relatively new but the cost will soon increase as the car gets older.

So my cost goes to K30, 000.

2. I am booked out for functions every weekend, church fundraising and others and every event I have to attend, Ii have to spend not less than K5. 000 as a pledge especially at church building promotions.

Meaning that I spend not less than K20, 000 per month on such but that is, if I have only one function at the weekend. On Sunday, Kamfisa

MP Kang’ombe and I had one function and our pledges where K5, 000 each for that church that was being established which function was held at Garden Court.

3. My community truck which helps people with funeral arrangements gets K500 fuel every day including Sundays because it has to do some trips. That means I have to spend K14, 000 per month on fuel for the community truck. But I have to hire buses for some funerals on days that we have too many. I won’t put cost because it’s not daily.

Now I have to sponsor funerals every day and I spend not less than K2, 000 per day on funerals because have almost a funeral in each of the eight wards,

In fact, there are a lot of funerals I don’t even help because the cost is too much and I can’t manage.

It means I spend not les than K30, 000 on funerals each month in addition to the fuel in the communtiy truck.

Now think of how much an MP spends when doing community programmes?

4. I have a number of children I sponsor in schools whom I have committed to be paying K1, 000 every month and I spend not less than K8, 000 per month for such.

5. I have a home in Kitwe and I have myself away in Lusaka. My family needs to eat and all the other needs. I think that you can estimate.

So I put it to you as you debate the welfare of your MPs and ask whether they are entitled to have good perks. Think of what they do for your community members who are vulnerable and for your churches and other community causes.

Please don’t compare an MP to other professionals because even when you have a funeral you won’t go to a doctor or a managing director or Judge to ask for transport, food or coffins, you go to your MPs.

It is only true to say the money an MP gets is for the community and not even his relatives enjoys any of that.

By the way in our communities, if you don’t help in funeral expenses, brother you are doomed. So let me end by saying that the rumoured increment is not true but I feel it is long overdue for MPs to get fair perks and when that discussion comes up I will push the hardest. Let us have a decent debate over this matter.