NFP to Decide on Pay Adjustments for MPs

The National Federation Party (NFP) will decide the steps it will take when the new pay adjustments for its Members of Parliament comes into effect on August 1, 2024.

This was confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad over the weekend.

Mr Prasad met party president Parmod Chand during the trip.

On Saturday, when Mr Prasad was asked whether Pio Tikoduadua, Agni Deo Singh, Sashi Kiran and Lenora Qereqeretabua would take the pay increases or otherwise, he said the party would decide once it’s implemented.

When asked if he welcomed and accepted his pay decrease from $235,000 to $200,000, he said it was not about him.

“My pay has been decreased, but like I said in Parliament last week, it’s not about me,” Mr Prasad said.

He revealed that the report on the salary adjustments and benefits for MPs, President and Speaker of the House was tabled in Parliament 48 before it was debated last Friday.

He said NFP’s view was that the report should be considered later so that they, as a party, would have taken the report back to their management board and working committee.

“But we have taken that position and said very clearly that it doesn’t affect our support to the honourable prime minister and the Coalition Government,” he said.

He said this was not the first time the party has made a similar decision.

“When we were in Opposition, we opposed the increase in allowance and some of us gave that extra allowance for charity and to the party,” he said.

“So, that is something we need to consider.”

National Federation Party president Parmod Chand, (left), with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad at Tabia, Labasa on May 26, 2024. Photo: Shratika Naidu

Party position

Meanwhile, Mr Chand said the party’s position had always been to oppose the pay increase.

“The NFP believes civil servants and working-class people should receive pay increase, the minimum wage rate needs to be looked at first because the cost of living is high,” Mr Chand said.

“As a president of the party, I feel that once this was done, then the pay adjustment for Members of the Parliament could be looked at.”

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