MPs’ salary increase ignites Iraqi street… Accusations of “treason” and violation of the law

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[size=52]MPs’ salary increase ignites Iraqi street… Accusations of “treason” and violation of the law[/size]

[size=45]During the past week, the media and social networking sites were abuzz with the story of the “secret procedures” that took place inside the Iraqi parliament in the session of Wednesday, August 7, regarding the addition of “privileges and raising the salaries of members of the House of Representatives.”
The story was “partially” revealed by the Ishraqat Kanun bloc, which talked about the deputies not being informed of the tables that were intended to raise the salaries of deputies, and that this matter was secret, while no information or clarifications were issued after that about the story.
According to following the context of the session and what was read during this session, the parliament presidency’s presentation of this matter came in conjunction with “exploitation” of the first reading of the amendment to the House of Representatives Law, which was included for reading and amendment based on a decision by the Federal Court declaring the unconstitutionality of some phrases in Articles 48 and 50 related to the House of Representatives’ appointment of advisors.
However, the parliament went further than that, amending several articles in the House of Representatives Law, including articles related to the privileges of deputies and adding personal guards for deputies, not just for the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies, in addition to making these guards designated for the deputies even after the end of their term and service in parliament.
In conjunction with this, and based on Article 64 of the House of Representatives Law, this article allows the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies to issue instructions allocating their salaries and the salaries of the deputies and employees of the Council, meaning that they are not subject to a unified law, but rather instructions issued by the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies to set the required numbers for salaries.
In general, this amendment and move coincided with a response to a decision issued by the Federal Court separately from the decision declaring Articles 48 and 50 of the House of Representatives Law unconstitutional, as the Federal Court issued a decision based on a lawsuit filed by a representative that led to a reduction in the salaries of the general managers in the House of Representatives in their capacity as employees, and their salaries were not reduced or the decision to reduce their salaries issued in 2017 in the Abadi government was implemented.
Based on the decision of the Federal Supreme Court, the reduction even extended to the salaries of members of the House of Representatives, who hold a preparatory certificate and a bachelor’s degree, while the salaries of those holding a master’s degree remained stable or decreased slightly, with a slight increase in the salaries of those holding a doctorate.
In general, the average salary of a representative decreased from 8 million and 200 thousand dinars to about 6 million dinars, which prompted the parliament presidency to implement paragraph 64 of the House of Representatives Law, which includes “issuing instructions on raising the salaries of representatives,” but no details were revealed about the size of the increase in these salaries and how much they will amount to, as the representatives have not yet seen any tables related to them.
The salaries of representatives before they were reduced ranged between 10 and 15 million dinars, but they currently range between 8 and 10 million, before the reduction to 6 million for the majority of the members of the council, meaning that there is a widening gap between the members of parliament so that the salaries may be between 6 and 10 million dinars.
Legal researcher Salem Hawas says, “The Iraqi Council of Representatives’ vote on the decision to increase the salaries and allowances of its members by an amount equivalent to the salaries and allowances of a minister, as well as increasing the risk percentage granted to the Council’s employees by an amount equivalent to 30% of the nominal salary, is a betrayal of the people who elected them, a violation of the Iraqi constitution and laws, a violation of the principle of social justice and the principle of equal opportunities in light of the harsh conditions facing the Iraqi citizen, and a suspension of important laws that touch on social and humanitarian needs.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained that “the legal description of a member of the Council of Representatives is that of a general manager, so how can he be allocated the allowances of a minister in violation of the law? It is an unjustified gain and an abuse of right. The constitutional texts, including Article 16, stipulate that equal opportunities are a right guaranteed to all Iraqis, and the state guarantees taking the necessary measures to achieve this, at a time when many laws and decisions of a humanitarian nature are suspended, including the salary scale law, in addition to their violation of Article 14 of the constitution, which stipulates that Iraqis are equal before the law.”
Hawass added that “the Iraqi constitution has obligated in its Article 50 that a member of the Council of Representatives must take an oath after swearing by God Almighty to look after the interests and wealth of his people and to commit to implementing legislation with honesty and impartiality.”
According to a document issued by the House of Representatives, “during Parliament Session No. (7) held last Wednesday, 8/7/2024, the House of Representatives voted on a parliamentary decision stipulating an increase in the salaries and allowances of its members to the equivalent of the salaries and allowances of the minister. The decision also included an increase in the risk percentage granted to the Council’s employees to the equivalent of 30% of the nominal salary[/size]
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