Prime Minister Gaston Browne has responded to critics after he posted his ministerial salary of EC$ 12 thousand on Facebook.
Browne says “they are saying that is too much money and why he don’t give up his pay.”
The issue was first raised after some regional politician decided to take a pay cut in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the prime minister says many public servants and some of his regional counterparts are paid more money than him.
“The thing is there are many leaders within the region who make more money than me. The Chief Minister of Anguilla makes about US$ 10 thousand a month. There are many public servants who make more money than the prime minister. The head of the CIU makes EC$ 25 thousand a month.
“All of the officials in the ministry of finance, the financial secretary, the deputy, the accountant general, the debt manager, you name them, they make 15-18 thousand dollars a month. The head of Medical Benefits makes more money than me, the head of Social Security makes more money than the prime minister.”
Browne told his radio programme on Pointe FM that he is not in office for the salary but to serve.
“My parliamentary pay doesn’t mean anything to me. I enjoy serving the people of Antigua & Barbuda,” he said.
The prime minister also said he has never relied on his parliamentary salary.
“I can tell the people of Antigua & Barbuda since I became a parliamentarian 20 years ago, I never had to rely on a parliamentary pay for my survival. So for me it is not about the pay it is about making a contribution to the advancement of the people of Antigua & Barbuda,” he said.
Browne said what he earns as the country’s leader, he will make the same out of office when he receives a pension. He also said it is a flaw in the system for a parliamentarian to receive a full pension after serving two terms plus one year or a total of 11 years.
“If I resign tomorrow I still get the same 12 thousand dollars, that is maybe one of the unfortunate things about our system after you serve for two terms and one year you get a full pension.
“If someone feels I am making too much money with the 12 thousand ECD and they decide to vote me out, I am not being punished because for doing nothing I am going to get 12 thousand dollars a month,” he said.
The prime minister has also commented on his future as prime minister telling radio listeners that he never intended to go beyond two terms but there are many who feel that he still has a contribution to make at that level.
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Gaston Browne,you are making a base salary of $12,000 per month.However,you are also getting several allowances for housing,constituency,petrol,free car,electricity,water and more.So your over all salary is much more than the number( $12,000) you publicly gave the people.I worked for a company making 6 round figures per year.In addition to that I got a Bonus.Which elevated my salary way up there.It pushed me into a much higher tax bracket.It is a good thing my company issued profit sharing of 8% annually was never touched.So come and tell us your true annual salary,to include all of your fringe benefits.Break it down for us in retails,be transparent.We are not all dummies out here.COME ON MAN !!
You took the words right out if my mouth. 12000 base salary + allowances is what you take home every month. Trust me, the allowances probably make his take home double the 12000.
Bro i make more money than you. Lol.
How much Lovell getting .Lol.
You make 12000ec = $4416.us.
You make the country gain more than 1 billion $US. annually , because of your leadership all of us benefits. Why in the world you guys attacking Gaston during Covid just because you all not making big bucks now , what happened when the dollars use to roll , eeh!!! Now things brown u jokers complaining . The man invest so he can live off of that till he dead. You all better start think about the future on how to maximize your earnings. Travel out of Antigua again and see how overseas people hustle to make an honest dollar. Antigua people complain too much about everything , soon you will hear Gaston garden getting better food than CMC and he catching the better fishes in the sea at jolly. Take my advice look after your family and leave the man alone. God bless you Mr PM and your Cabinet no Government is perfect . We have to build Antigua together for future generations with constructive thinking and planning .
I wonder how the majority of government workers who make less than $1,800 a month (before taxes) feel?
@TUNA
You are just a Gaston Browne HATER. Leave our Prime Minister alone. Our Prime Minister should be making a salary of of at least $20,000 Monthly.
@ZIMBA: WELCOME BACK.I DO NOT HATE ANYONE.HE MAKES MUCH MORE THAN EC$12,000 A MONTH.I GAVE A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS HE GETS IN ADDITION TO HIS BASE SALARY.SO FOR HIM TO SAY HE ONLY MAKES THAT AMOUNT OF $12,000 IS A DAMN LIE.HE SHOULD GIVE A BREAKDOWN OF ALL THE INCOMES RELATED TO SALARIES.YOU SAY HE SHOULD BE MAKING AT LEAST $20,000.HE MAKES MORE THAN THAT.
No one in government offices of any kind should be paid more than the Prime Minister. Stop it.
He is telling the truth here
WHY WOULD HE BE GIVING OUT PUBLIC SERVANTS SALARIES.THAT IS A NO,NO.IT IS UNPROFESSIONAL TO DO AND ALSO AN UNETHICAL ISSUE.IF I WERE TO DIVULGED ANYONE’S SALARY IN THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR.I WOULD BE FIRED,IMMEDIATELY.
Tuna these salaries are listed in the budget estimates and you can aces it online (google). You really seem to have an issue with Gaston
Tenman,Tenman.I pulled you out of your fox hole.Why not tell Gaston to be truthful about his overall monthly income.He earns much more than $12,000 as he is saying.I would agree with him.That the actual base salary does not mean much to him.Because the fringe benefits are much,much,more than that.
@TUNA
Please show respect for our Prime Minister. You must contend wiyh iur Prime Minister for the next 30 years at least.
Why these overseas folks like to come on these portals and disclose how much they make. We nah grudge unnu. Some of unnu are just too boastful and braggadocio and if most of these statements were checked out, one would probably find LIES after LIES. The Civil servants salaries are public records in the government’s budget document…….anyone can go and purchase one. Agreed this thing about politicians receiving a full salary after two consecutive terms plus one needs to change and soon……notice the trend if they serve two terms and they lost the next term they are sent to the senate for one year to qualify for full pension. Politicians should have to serve five consecutive terms before qualify for a pension……but which government will be bold enough to change it? If this continues in another twenty years the revenue that government collects will be going to Politicians salaries and make no mistakes about this they all look out for each other so when the finance minister for whichever party in governance calls Treasury and say pay the retired politicians….then there may be nothing left to pay civil servants. Montserrat and Anguilla are colonies thereby the politicians are not the ones dictating their salaries and the room for CORRUPTION is minimal when compared to those countries that are independent.
Yep just had to tell shark food (Tuna) about the budget estimates being online. Sadly we have too many persons willing to speak on things they know nothing about
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