The new house allowance secretly awarded to MPs cries out for scrutiny and public debate.
The MPs have become a special lot who get both mortgage and house allowance.
Arguably, the allowance is illegal as it has not been approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Yet, by dint of the fact that they can paralyse government operations by throwing out budgets and other bills, they bulldoze their way and get the Executive to acquiesce to their demands.
What it all shows is the propensity for the legislators to take advantage of their vantage position to benefit themselves, notwithstanding attendant illegalities and implication for the economy.
And this needs to be challenged. It is not fair that, any time they so wish, MPs mobilise themselves and push through selfish bills to the chagrin of the helpless public.
MPs rank among the highest-paid lot. Although they argue, simplistically, that they deserve that because they use their cash to support constituents, that is a misnomer and, unfortunately, their own creation.
Institutionally, the government has created several kitties targeting the various demographics such as women, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as bursaries.
The Constituency Development Fund is under MPs’ control to use in developing their areas. Also, there are various funds through the county governments for grassroots development.
The catchphrase in government and private sector is cost-cutting and frugality. The National Treasury is confronted with a huge budgetary deficit and has to seek alternatives.
Just the other day, it tabled budgetary estimates in Parliament indicating that the government will have to borrow heavily to meets its financial obligations.
Already, the country is reeling under a heavy debt burden and further increases are bound to worsen the situation.
On Labour Day, the government declined to increase the minimum wage despite high expectations. Any attempt to raise salaries was bound to be counter-intuitive, push up production costs and diminish returns, both impactful to the economy.
All around, workers are going through a rough time because employers cannot afford raises, given the current hard economic times. Most organisations have frozen employment as others resorting to job cuts to reduce expenditure.
MPs cannot justify the new allowance. It is unfortunate that they continue to use their privileged position to enrich themselves, making a nuisance of austerity measures put in place to cut public spending. We must find ways to tame this incessant greed.
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