Editor,

The Salary Commission Act 2010 is a necessary part of political reform in the Kingdom, and we should all applaud its passage . . . at long last.

One would hope that those chosen to be members of the Commission would be truly independent of political influence, and that they would deliver a recommendation that represents a truly fair salary schedule . . . fair to the people of Tonga, that is.

One would also hope that whatever salary level is recommended, would reflect the "base" income of the people . . . the "real" income of the majority of Tongan citizens. There is no justification for a high "average income to government salary" ratio. If most of the people in this nation are poor, then there is no excuse for government salaries to be disproportionately high.

Furthermore, the proposed salary review commission should consider the value of the "perks" inherent in government office: ie, the amount paid for various "allowances" . . . for housing, travel, transportation, per diems, meeting fees, etc etc . . . which are all part of the "salary" of public employees.

There is no reason whatsoever that public employees . . . including, especially, members of parliament . . . should be paid more than 20 times the income of the average citizen.

I once had a conversation with someone who is now a very prominent member of the government hierarchy: he said, "If you pay peanuts, then you get monkeys."

Maybe so . . . but paying government employees far more than what most of the people "make" is a recipe for discontent.

There's only so much money to go around, and it should be distributed fairly. Basic needs must come first: health care, education, and the maintenance of basic community infrastructure must come first . . . well before salaries of parliamentarians.

'Ofa 'atu,

P.A Langi
Pangai, Ha'apai.