House Speaker Wade Mark says MPs are being paid “peanuts” and are expected to deliver quality service to citizens. He said so in an interview with reporters during yesterday’s break at the opening of a parliamentary workshop, titled Budget Scrutiny and Parliamentary Oversight, at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain. “How can you pay members peanuts? Imagine an elected MP is getting $15,000 a month. That is peanuts,” Mark said.
According to Mark T&T “cannot be serious” if MPs were being asked to “produce and deliver quality services” and not be remunerated properly. He said that was one of the “biggest challenges” facing Parliament and he hoped the Salaries Review Commission would addressed it accordingly.
Mark said Parliament had submitted its recommendations for pay hikes. Mark also said there would be sweeping changes to the rules governing Parliament in the next session which begins after July 10. He said the Standing Orders were established since 1961 and there was need for significant changes.
Asked if parliamentary privilege was among measures to be addressed in the new Standing Orders, Mark said that was guaranteed under the Constitution. He said the electorate would deal with those who either abused or were perceived to abuse it. He said the most a presiding officer could do was to caution members against abusing freedom of speech, especially against people who were not in Parliament to defend themselves.
“Without freedom of speech Parliament would not exist,” he added. Asked if he felt the need to abolish the Committee of Privileges, Mark said he did not share that view because it was the responsibility of the Parliament to regulate itself. “Nobody tells us what we have to do. We determine what we have to do. No Judiciary and no Executive...Parliament regulates its own affairs,” Mark said.
Commenting on his role in the committee, Mark said he was just a referee to ensure the principles of fairness and natural justice were followed. He said he remained impartial in matters before the committee. Mark said any report of the committee would be deliberated on by the House of Representatives and not members of the Privileges Committee.
In his address to the workshop he said Cabinet already had approved a new management structure for Parliament. He said the new plan would give the Parliament financial and management autonomy. He said when that was implemented the Parliament could recruit the best and pay them the best.
Mark told reporters he had written to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan advising him the instructions were given for the Clerk of the House to meet with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to advance the initiative.