Government’s failure to lead by example

It was reported (January 4) that the New York governor started his job with a five per cent pay cut.

Top aides are also taking the same cut and the executive branch’s budget will also drop by the same amount.

The governor was quoted as saying that change starts at the top and he and his executive branch will lead by example. He also said that families and business owners have learned to do more with less in order to live within their means and the government must do the same.

Not so in Malta. In reply to a recent parliamentary question it has now come to light that, upon taking office in 2008, by stealth, the Cabinet approved a 64 per cent increase in their own pay (€26,771 per annum), parliamentary secretaries by 67 per cent (€26,771 per annum) and members of Parliament by 40 per cent (€7,659 per annum). To add insult to injury, these increases are backdated to 1998. And this in times of economic woes when people are faced with spiralling energy tariffs and other essential commodities and a miserable weekly cost of living increase of €1.16.

Can’t they see that while they may well steamroll these increases whatever the people say or do, they will only receive the people’s utter contempt?