Shikapwasha justifies salary increments

Shikapwasha justifies salary increments
Written by Agness Changala
Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:07:58 AM

INFORMATION minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha on Friday evening justified the recent salary increments for constitutional office holders and senior government officials, saying one cannot compare a President to a teacher.
Featuring on Muvi TV’s Tough Assignment programme, Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the government was aware that the income for teachers and other civil servants were low.

However, Lt Gen Shikapwasha said as the national cake grew, the government may increase other workers’ salaries and urged people to work hard to achieve that.

When asked about the huge gap in salaries that existed between senior government officials and civil servants such as teachers, Lt Gen Shikapwasha said it was unacceptable to compare a teacher’s salary to that of the President.

“A teacher is not President and I feel the comparison is out of way,” he said. “Why compare a teacher because he or she is not a President or minister?”

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said there was need to improve the poverty datum line and ensure that poverty was reduced.

He said it was unfair to ask politicians to tighten their belts and wait for another time to increase their salaries when all civil servants in the country had received an increment.

On concerns that the government wanted to exploit the people by increasing their salaries at the expense of the many suffering Zambians, Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the people could not have elected the MMD into power if they knew that the leaders would exploit them.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the leaders in the government were there to serve the people of Zambia.

“…If these leaders were exploiting, the electorate themselves should not have voted for such people,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha. “Some of them have left their businesses just to serve the people and saying they are in the government to exploit is not fair.”

Last week, Parliament approved three amended emoluments Bills that seek to increase salaries and allowances for constitutional office holders. The three Bills which were prior to the elections sent back to Parliament for amendment, are now ready for Presidential assent.