Walwyn addresses legislators’ salary hike
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn says he understands the public’s anger over recent salary increases for legislators and supports reforms to parliamentary procedures that he argues foster secrecy and...
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn says he understands the public’s anger over recent salary increases for legislators and supports reforms to parliamentary procedures that he argues foster secrecy and distance the public from decision-making. Walwyn stressed that while the salary adjustments were not carried out in secret but in line with the Westminster system of governance, the public perception is different — and that perception, he said, cannot be ignored. “The people are telling us that they want to be more included in the decision-making of their country.
They want those of us elected to be more transparent in our dealings,” Walwyn said during the constitutional review debate. “It might call for us to interrogate the system we operate under because there are some tenets of the Westminster system of government that are outdated and inconsistent with a modern society.
There’s too much secrecy in it.” He continued: “They are cursing us right now — saying we’ve given ourselves an increase in secret. It wasn’t done in secret based on the Westminster system that we follow, but to the people outside, it seems like a secret, and we have to hear what they’re saying.” Among the Constitutional Review Commission’s (CRC) recommendations is an amendment to Section 72 of the Constitution to ensure standing orders uphold representative democracy, accountability, transparency, and public participation.
The CRC also proposed that all hearings and meetings be made public where possible, and that the House of Assembly publish its annual schedule in advance to allow members of the public to prepare and participate. Walwyn said these reforms are essential to rebuilding public trust. “I strongly support recommendation number one from the CRC,” he said. “It’s time to make committee meetings public.
It’s time to make the process open, including the work we are doing now on the constitutional review. This is a document that belongs to everybody.” His remarks come amid growing backlash on social media and in the wider community over the timing and manner of the salary increases.
The Auditor General reported that legislators voted in an informal meeting to approve pay adjustments that more than doubled their previous salaries, without considering the impact on their already enhanced pensions.
Primary source: BVI News