Raising salaries of government bigwigs

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THE Cabinet recently approved a rise in the salaries of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, Chief Justice, ministers, Supreme Court judges and lawmakers, by up to 83 per cent because of 'the changed economic situation'.
Want a raise? Don't beg from your taxpayers, voters and common citizens. Just reward yourself! That's what the Bangladesh parliament should be doing. Lawmakers should approve their automatic "cost of living" and double their annual salary per year!
Members of the parliament have the only job in the country whose occupants can set their own salary without regard to performance, profit, or economic climate.
Members must think that money grows on trees. With a huge deficit, the escalating cost of the war in poverty reduction and a stagnant economy, parliament should be curbing spending, not lining their pockets at tax payers expense. It goes to show how out of touch with reality politicians-cum-policymakers can be.

Gopal Sengupta
Canada
gopalsengupta@aol.com