The Finance and Mass Media Ministry yesterday categorically refuted claims that the salaries of MPs and ministers should be increased on par with the judges’ salaries.
The ministry revealed that the Cabinet on January 9 this year had taken a decision that the judicial officers be treated as a unique category when determining their salaries and other facilities.
The Cabinet on the same day has also taken a decision that the Attorney General’s Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Department should be re-organised as unique departments, in view of the role assigned to those Departments and the difficulty in recruiting and retaining officers in those Departments.
“The salaries of judges which belong to judiciary and of the officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Department were increased making them separate three unique services.
The reason is that the officers who are working in these three services have ample opportunity for enough revenues if they are working in their private capacities. In order to attract them and retain their services, these judicial officers were given the unique salary scale which cannot be claimed by other officials in the public sector,” the Finance Ministry sources explained.
The Ministry pointed out the arguments as to MPs’ and Ministers’ salaries should be increased on par with the judicial officers’ salaries as per the 2006 Resolution adopted by Parliament are no more valid after this Cabinet decision.
The Ministry states it is due to these reasons Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera outright rejected the idea of any salary increase to MPs and Ministers.
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