A motion to reinstate lifetime pensions for elected public representatives was defeated.
Of the 31 MPs present at yesterday’s weekly council meeting, 26 voted against the reinstatement of the 2009 MP, Shura Council and Municipal Members Pensions Act, with 4 abstaining and Jalal Kadhim. only supported this proposal.
Under the rejected bill, public representatives would have the same right to annual increases in their pensions as other representatives of the civilian, government and military sectors.
The bill also called for the removal of the monthly pension cap of 4,000 BD.
A bill to overhaul pension packages and reduce benefits for elected officials was approved by the then parliament and the Shura Council in October 2018.
Prior to that, in addition to the regular state pension, members of parliament received a lifetime pension equal to 50 percent of their monthly salary if they served a four-year term, 80 percent if they served two terms, and 90 percent if they served three or more terms. I was eligible to receive a pension.
Bonus
Currently, they are eligible for a one-month bonus for each year of service during their four-year term.
The 2018 rules regarding public offices do not apply to persons who held such offices before the measure was adopted. In other words, only those who have held public office since 2018 will be affected.
As a result, long-term legislators elected before and after this rule will continue to receive pensions along with their bonuses, so they will fall into both categories.
Based on a decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad last year, people’s representatives who lose their seats are allowed to return to their previous jobs at an equivalent or higher level.
Maryam Al Sayegh sparked controversy on social media with her comments about reinstating the pension law.
“MPs don’t want pensions reinstated. I’m not against it, but they shouldn’t leave the party without at least a food parcel,” she said.
“Instead of providing a lifetime pension, at least four years should be calculated as an extension of the existing period of the social insurance institution, or the door should be opened to voluntary pension contributions as a continuation of the pension period,” she added. .
“It’s unrealistic that members of Congress who don’t want to go back to work are left without a source of income.”
Kadim said the current system is unfair.
“Former MPs continue to use their special passports until they expire, which is a joke considering they have no source of income and are unable to cover their living expenses.
“Coming to this place should be an honor, not a punishment.”
Second Vice-President Ahmed Karata said there was a need to find a solution for young MPs who were not eligible for pensions because they had not completed the required years.
“We need to have a balanced system in place,” he said.
“Some people don’t want to go back to their old job in a similar position, knowing that they could have been promoted to a higher position if they had stayed in that job.”
Hisham Al Awadi, chairman of Parliament’s Utilities and Environmental Affairs Committee, said lawmakers were wasting their time debating their own interests rather than public welfare.
“Since 2018, we have moved away from this nonsense topic,” he said.
“We are here to serve people.”
In April of this year, members of the Shura Council submitted the Salary and Pensions Act of 2009 for Members of Parliament, City Councils, Shura Council and Metropolitan Council Members, submitted by former members who served from 2014 to 2018. It unanimously rejected the proposal to reinstate the .
The Parliamentary Services Committee had also recommended that colleagues reject the proposal.
The Cabinet warned that reinstating the law would mean the government would have to inject huge sums of money into the Social Insurance Organization (SIO) to make up the difference at a time when it is trying to reduce its deficit. was.
SIO had also warned that the move could cause long-term damage to its coffers if allowed.
Beneficiary
Parliament’s Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee expressed similar concerns, acknowledging that only a small number of beneficiaries remained since 2002 and that it believed this was manageable.
The “retirement” bonuses for former public officials were transferred to their bank accounts in August last year.
The total monthly salary of ordinary parliamentarians and Shura councilors is BD4,250, which includes a basic salary of BD2,000, representative allowance of BD1,200, social allowance of BD300, and car installment payment of BD750.
The First and Second Vice-Presidents of each House will receive an additional BD500, while the Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Shura Council will receive an additional BD1,000.
The bonus includes all allowances except car installments.
This means that MPs and members of the Shura Council received a one-time bonus of BD14,000 (BD3,500 per month). The 1st and 2nd Vice-Presidents were paid BD16,000 (BD4,000 per month), and the Speaker of Parliament and Shura Council President were paid BD18,000 (BD4,500 per month).
City councilors and members of the Metropolitan Council earn BD1,500 per month without allowances. The Vice-President receives her BD1,800 without allowance and the Chairman receives her BD2,000 and her BD300 car allowance.
This means that members will receive BD6,000 as a bonus, vice-presidents will receive BD7,200 and presidents will receive BD8,000 as a bonus, excluding car allowance.
The government payment cost approximately BD1.13 million.
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