Protesters in Erbil demand for lawmakers to reduce pension gap
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Civil activists in front of the Kurdistan parliament protested on Sunday against high pensions for MPs and high-ranking Kurdish officials.
The protesters in a statement entitled 'The Justice Campaign against the Pensions of MPs and High Ranks' said they do not trust any MP who tries to abolish the article designed for pensions for special ranks.
"As the justice campaigners, we have been working for nine years to abolish the pensioning of parliamentarians, high ranks and reducing their salaries in a bid to minimize the gap between the minimum-wage and high-pension salaries," the statement read.
They stated the system that the KRG is adopting has made it "one of the most unjust countries in the world."
Under the new reform bill, the "KRG should have reduced the salary of the special and high ranks much more than what is now," they urged.
They demanded for the lowest pension to be 400,000 Iraqi dinars (about $335), not the proposed 300,000.
The reform bill passed on Tuesday sets the minimum wage for pensioners at 300,000 Iraqi, while it allocates 4 million dinars (about $3,375) as pension for Kurdish MPs.
At the time, PUK MP Izzat Sabir, had said the reforms and pensions of high-earners will be decreased, but did not reveal the high figures senior officials.
Sabir, who heads of the finances committee of the parliament, then praised the bill as "good news" for the people of the Kurdistan Region.
"There are people who will lose out [because of the bill] — they are the corrupt," Sabir said, adding that they expect some people will fight the measures because it affects their unlawful salaries.
The government has 90 days from February 27 to implement the reforms if signed into law, the first major overhaul of the public servant sector since the foundation of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The third article of the bill relates the pensions of the high rankings, including MPs.
There have also been public protests outside of the capital city.
Young and old Peshmerga spoke out in front of the parliament’s office in Soran.
"They have become parliamentarians by the vote of people. There should be no difference between them and other people," said an angry protester on Saturday.
Another protester said: "When we choose and send MPs to the parliament, it is for them to protect our rights."
Another protest had been staged in front of the parliament last week protesting the bill.
The Change Movement (Gorran), Islamic Group (Komal), and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) are in opposition to the PUK-KDP controlled government.
Gorran, the largest opposition party, also has stated that they were also against pensions being allocated for Kurdish MPs, especially those who do not have 15 years of public service or for those not older than 50.
Sherko Jawdat, an MP from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), an opposition party, has said that his faction with 10 seats in the parliament, strongly opposed pensions for Kurdish MPs who are younger than 50-years-old and who have less than 15 years of public service.
Jawdat defended the spirit of the bill saying that it saves the public money after reforms were implemented, and that it puts in place safeguards so that the government is not able to use the pension funds for any other reason than for what they were established.
The protesters in a statement entitled 'The Justice Campaign against the Pensions of MPs and High Ranks' said they do not trust any MP who tries to abolish the article designed for pensions for special ranks.
"As the justice campaigners, we have been working for nine years to abolish the pensioning of parliamentarians, high ranks and reducing their salaries in a bid to minimize the gap between the minimum-wage and high-pension salaries," the statement read.
They stated the system that the KRG is adopting has made it "one of the most unjust countries in the world."
Under the new reform bill, the "KRG should have reduced the salary of the special and high ranks much more than what is now," they urged.
They demanded for the lowest pension to be 400,000 Iraqi dinars (about $335), not the proposed 300,000.
Another demand was the allocation of 400,000 in welfare for families having no income.
The reform bill passed on Tuesday sets the minimum wage for pensioners at 300,000 Iraqi, while it allocates 4 million dinars (about $3,375) as pension for Kurdish MPs.
At the time, PUK MP Izzat Sabir, had said the reforms and pensions of high-earners will be decreased, but did not reveal the high figures senior officials.
Sabir, who heads of the finances committee of the parliament, then praised the bill as "good news" for the people of the Kurdistan Region.
"There are people who will lose out [because of the bill] — they are the corrupt," Sabir said, adding that they expect some people will fight the measures because it affects their unlawful salaries.
The government has 90 days from February 27 to implement the reforms if signed into law, the first major overhaul of the public servant sector since the foundation of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The third article of the bill relates the pensions of the high rankings, including MPs.
There have also been public protests outside of the capital city.
Young and old Peshmerga spoke out in front of the parliament’s office in Soran.
"They have become parliamentarians by the vote of people. There should be no difference between them and other people," said an angry protester on Saturday.
Another protester said: "When we choose and send MPs to the parliament, it is for them to protect our rights."
Another protest had been staged in front of the parliament last week protesting the bill.
The Change Movement (Gorran), Islamic Group (Komal), and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) are in opposition to the PUK-KDP controlled government.
Gorran, the largest opposition party, also has stated that they were also against pensions being allocated for Kurdish MPs, especially those who do not have 15 years of public service or for those not older than 50.
Sherko Jawdat, an MP from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), an opposition party, has said that his faction with 10 seats in the parliament, strongly opposed pensions for Kurdish MPs who are younger than 50-years-old and who have less than 15 years of public service.
Jawdat defended the spirit of the bill saying that it saves the public money after reforms were implemented, and that it puts in place safeguards so that the government is not able to use the pension funds for any other reason than for what they were established.