All Members of the Parliament (MP) including the Prime Minister will voluntarily donate their one month salary to the government. The gesture is in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country and to support the country’s effort in containing the spread of the virus.
The MPs also shared that if the situation becomes worse, they will work without a salary. It was stated by members from the Government, Opposition and the National Council at a press conference this afternoon.
“As representatives of the people, we agreed and decided to help the government during such times. We decided to support the government by contributing our one month’s salary. If the situation becomes worse, we will help the government further,” said Jigme Wangchuk, the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council.
“In such times, we are not the Government, Opposition or National Council. The parliament which includes the Prime Minister has decided to contribute our one month’s pay to the government. This is just for the time being. If the need becomes extreme, we have agreed to work without pay,” added Karma Wangchuk, the Chhumig-Ura MP of the National Assembly.
Apart from one month’s salary, the MPs including ministers, NC chairperson, and the Prime Minister will be forgoing foreign visits, constituency visits, and other visits, so that the fund can be diverted to the relief fund. However, MPs will be playing a crucial role to communicate with the people of their constituencies in updating on plans and policies with the help of mediums such as WeChat, WhatsApp and so on.
The National Assembly and the National Council have formed the Parliamentary Support Group to discuss the economy at the time of crisis. The group will do research, give feedback and support to the government so that daily economic activities are carried out with ease.
Tshering Dendup
