IT nearly brings tears to one’s eyes to learn that the alleged lavish lunch buffets laid on for honourable MPs in Bahrain are to be replaced by measly food parcels delivered to offices by order of the Parliament Speaker (‘Food parcels replace lavish lunch buffets’, GDN, October 11).
This may be a Covid-receptive measure but it caused me to recall an article I had read in the GDN back in 2019 which referred to the perks of being an elected representative of the good people of Bahrain.
According to that news item (‘MPs slammed over office allowance’, GDN, August 3, 2019), the entitlements of MPs include a salary of BD4,250, including representation, car, social and office allowances, vice-chairmen and chairwoman pick-up, among others. A monthly office allowance of BD500 is included even though, by all accounts, offices are allocated to the MPs in the National Assembly building.
Apparently, this office allowance is used to open and maintain offices by the MPs in their respective constituencies. Obviously, we’re now in 2021 and I’m assuming that these not inconsiderable packages remain static and have not witnessed an increase.
I think it is merely helpful to be reminded of this when intense debate ensues in Parliament and austerity and general ‘belt tightening’ measures are passionately argued to balance budgets and address deficits, etc.
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