| The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has called for a “dismantling” of the US$120,000 annual income of the President.The call came days after disclosures that the salary of President Donald Ramotar rivals that of the leaders of several developed nations. What has made the matter worse is the salary of the President is tax-free.“The GTUC wants to state clearly that it is not opposed to any worker being adequately remunerated,Cheap NFL Jerseys, but takes the opportunity to remind President Ramotar on 24th January 2015 when the issue of public servants’ wages/salaries was raised, he had this to say, “I am willing to give workers as much as the country can afford.”GTUC, in a statement yesterday,Cheap NBA Jerseys Online, pointed out that President Ramotar must be reminded that he is the country’s chief public servant.“Guyana is a Third World economy and according to the Heritage Foundation our “public debt is equivalent to 63 percent of gross domestic product.”With an economy like this, GTUC said, taxpayers can ill afford to pay the president’s “super salary”.“The GTUC therefore calls for the president’s salary to be commensurate with what the country can afford. As chief public servant, elected by the people, no way should he be exempted from delivering leadership through example.”GTUC referred to a story carried Sunday in Kaieteur News, headlined “Guyana President’s salary rivals major world leaders”. It presented a comparative overview of the salary of presidents of major world economies.“To see Guyana’s Head of Government, given our donkey cart economy,Chad Williams Jersey, ranks among them,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/AC-Milan-FC/, is a crying shame on President Ramotar. There is no justification for turning the nation’s highest public servant job into a gravy train, especially when the ranks of the unemployed, underemployed and working poor are increasing daily. G$2M per month is unconscionable when poverty, hunger and homelessness pervade the society.”President Donald RamotarGTUC said that former President Bharrat Jagdeo and President Ramotar have over the years tried to impress upon the nation that the Office of the President has not been used for their personal enrichment and that they are espousing values of a lean, mean and clean government.“Yet the lifestyles of these two men continue to be far removed from the electorate,Jerseys From China, the ordinary man and woman who have given them the power to protect and advance their wellbeing.Workers/citizens continue to be robbed of the reward of their taxes,Juventus Jerseys, a significant portion of which goes towards corruption, repaying debts and funding the greed,Air Max 2019 Offerta, fantasies and lust of elected officials. As the rank and file struggle to make ends meet, elected officials are feathering their nest, living like kings and queens.”GTUC urged President Ramotar to learn the lesson of Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, the world’s ‘poorest’ president and Pope Francis, who being elected to serve their public, have led by example.“GTUC calls on the opposition to register its disgust at the extravagant tax-free income of the presidency and commit to this nation, that should they form the new movement they would proceed immediately to dismantle this US$120,000 earnings and make it more appropriate to our impoverished economy.”The union body said that any new government outside of the PPP should not see the earning of the president as an opportunity for personal gain.Bharrat Jagdeo“In this donkey cart economy where 63 cents on every dollar of taxpayers’ money goes towards repaying the public debt, the nation cannot afford the president’s present salary.” |
