JS okays pay hike of president, PM, MPs

Passes six bills

4 April 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The parliament yesterday passed six separate bills increasing salaries and allowances of the president, the prime minister, ministers, the speaker and the deputy speaker, lawmakers and judges of the Supreme Court (SC). BNP lawmakers opposed increasing salaries and allowances of the president, the PM and ministers and criticised the government for the persisting crises of power, water and gas and price hike of essentials. Without reducing people's suffering, the government is increasing the salaries. The ruling party cannot fulfil its electoral pledges, they argued launching a blistering attack on the government for salary hike of ministers particularly. Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and Law Minister Shafique Ahmed proposed the passage of the bills. The salaries are being increased to keep abreast of the pay hike of civil servants. Matia, however, blamed the past BNP-Jamaat-led government for the present crises of power, water and gas. The past government did nothing to address those issues, she added. The BNP lawmakers, however, did not oppose the two bills for increasing salaries and allowances of the speaker and the deputy speaker and SC judges. They suggested the parliament not to pass the bills yesterday and send those to the select committee for eliciting people's opinions and increasing further of their perks. Opposition lawmakers' all proposals were rejected and the House passed the bills in voice vote. The hiked salaries would be effective from July 1, 2009, while the allowances would come into effect from July 1 this year, according to the provisions of the bills, which were placed in parliament on March 22.