PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s decision to accept the recommendations of the 120th Salaries Review Commission, giving himself and his colleagues a significant salary increase, comes at a time when the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are suffering, can’t put food on their tables and with more economic hardship.
Public servants, unions, and the average worker are pleading for wage adjustments to accommodate the rising cost of living. Families are struggling to cope with rising food prices, businesses are shutting down, and the nation is breaking under economic pressure.
With all this happening, accepting a substantial salary increase by the prime minister is not only bad timing but profoundly tone-deaf. It sends a frightening message that the struggles of the average citizen are secondary to the gratification of those in power.
With more compass in a vast contrast, the Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s decision to refuse the salary increase realising that now is not the time to flaunt getting big money from the public purse is more in line with what the average person wants. This genuinely aligns more closely with the frustrations and sacrifices that people a facing daily.
The optics of this decision are a flagrant disregard for what citizens want at this time. The people are well aware that leadership requires difficult choices, and this decision reflects a lack of caring and understanding of the person on the street plight. The government has been asking the people to hold on and keep up austerity measures, to make sacrifices for the greater good. Yet when the time comes for Dr Rowley to do the same, such an action is glaringly unsympathetic to our society.
The prime minister and his administration must remember that elections are around the corner and people will show their displeasure with their fingers. Accepting a salary increase amidst extensive suffering signals not just crass heartlessness but also a disconnection from the realities faced by the Rowley’s administration and his whole elected cabinet.
This decision is a flagrant failure to hear the people’s voices that hopefully will wake up the voting public to smell the coffee and realise that Dr Rowley and his administration does not care about you.
We see, on the other hand, where the opposition leader is a much more caring person and can restore some faith in leadership during these trying times. Failure after failure, selfishness and unsympathetic to our citizens plight are all we see from this government. All the PNM has done is deepen the divide and reinforce the perception of a government that is out of touch with the very people it claims to represent.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, sometimes a temporary Opposition Senator, an ex-treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP). He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited
SRC Report: Rowley Tone-Deaf
AZP News Commentary
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s decision to accept the recommendations of the 120th Salaries Review Commission, giving himself and his colleagues a significant salary increase, comes at a time when the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are suffering, can’t put food on their tables and with more economic hardship.
Public servants, unions, and the average worker are pleading for wage adjustments to accommodate the rising cost of living. Families are struggling to cope with rising food prices, businesses are shutting down, and the nation is breaking under economic pressure.
With all this happening, accepting a substantial salary increase by the prime minister is not only bad timing but profoundly tone-deaf. It sends a frightening message that the struggles of the average citizen are secondary to the gratification of those in power.
With more compass in a vast contrast, the Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s decision to refuse the salary increase realising that now is not the time to flaunt getting big money from the public purse is more in line with what the average person wants. This genuinely aligns more closely with the frustrations and sacrifices that people a facing daily.
The optics of this decision are a flagrant disregard for what citizens want at this time. The people are well aware that leadership requires difficult choices, and this decision reflects a lack of caring and understanding of the person on the street plight. The government has been asking the people to hold on and keep up austerity measures, to make sacrifices for the greater good. Yet when the time comes for Dr Rowley to do the same, such an action is glaringly unsympathetic to our society.
The prime minister and his administration must remember that elections are around the corner and people will show their displeasure with their fingers. Accepting a salary increase amidst extensive suffering signals not just crass heartlessness but also a disconnection from the realities faced by the Rowley’s administration and his whole elected cabinet.
This decision is a flagrant failure to hear the people’s voices that hopefully will wake up the voting public to smell the coffee and realise that Dr Rowley and his administration does not care about you.
We see, on the other hand, where the opposition leader is a much more caring person and can restore some faith in leadership during these trying times. Failure after failure, selfishness and unsympathetic to our citizens plight are all we see from this government. All the PNM has done is deepen the divide and reinforce the perception of a government that is out of touch with the very people it claims to represent.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, sometimes a temporary Opposition Senator, an ex-treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP). He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited