FLASH
Shkruar nga Thoma Gëllçi
The simplest question that comes to mind is: how is it possible? How is it possible that a handful of people have secured for themselves such differentiated treatment from the rest of society?
I'm curious to know why in Albania the salary of a deputy is approximately five times higher than the salary of a teacher. I wonder if there is some logic related to the degree of difficulty of the job or its importance, but I can't come up with an answer.
This difference becomes even more scandalous if we compare the pension of a person who has been a deputy with the pension of a teacher. Based on a law approved by the deputies of the Albanian Parliament themselves, they not only increased their salary, but also created a supplementary pension scheme, not relying on the contributions paid, but giving themselves a special privilege.
After the latest increases, a deputy receives a basic salary of about 310 thousand lek. When per diems, fuel payments and other benefits are added to this, the monthly income easily exceeds 450 thousand lek. If we also calculate the apartment rent payment for deputies who are not residents of Tirana, the monthly income can reach up to 600 thousand new lek. Meanwhile, the average gross salary of a teacher is about 95 thousand lek.
Did you know that a member of parliament who has served several legislatures can receive a supplementary pension of up to 75 percent of the salary of current members of parliament, in addition to the normal pension? In other words, a teacher with 35-40 years of work receives a pension of around 400 euros, while a member of parliament receives, in addition to the usual pension that can be around 600 euros, a supplementary pension of around 2,000 euros.
The simplest question that comes to mind is: how is it possible? How is it possible that a handful of people have secured for themselves such differentiated treatment from the rest of society?
A comparison between the state of Michigan in the United States and Albania highlights a big difference. Michigan has about 10 million inhabitants and an economy many times larger than Albania. Michigan's state budget is about 88 billion dollars, while Albania's state budget is about 8 billion dollars.
While Michigan has no army, no foreign policy, and no secret service to fund, Albania has about 2.5 million inhabitants, much more limited resources, and is forced to fund defense, foreign policy, and a range of state services. Yet, the wealthiest country maintains a much fairer ratio between the salary of a member of parliament and the salary of a teacher.
In Michigan, a congressman is paid about $71,000 a year. A public school teacher earns an average of about $69,000 a year. The difference is very small. In practice, teachers and congressmen are treated almost the same economically.
Why in Albania is a teacher, who works every day with children and young people, valued so little compared to a member of parliament? Is the work of a member of parliament five times more important? Or has our politics brought so much good to the country that it deserves to be rewarded much more than education?
In Michigan, lawmakers elected after 1997 do not receive any state pension at all. Not only that, but no one would even consider approving a supplementary pension for themselves like the one that exists in Albania, which in many cases raises the pension above the current salary of a lawmaker. They have the same retirement savings system as millions of other employees. Meanwhile, teachers continue to have a state-guaranteed pension after a long career. The system chooses to protect the teacher, not the politician.
Term limits also go in the same direction. In Michigan, no one can serve more than 12 years in Congress. Politics is considered a temporary service, not a lifelong profession.
If there is someone, a member of parliament or former member of parliament, who considers this right, let them come out publicly and give their explanations.
Look at what happened in Hungary after the change of power. The new government not only imposed term limits on the prime minister, but also took measures to reduce the privileges of deputies and high-ranking officials, which had served as a support for the authoritarian government until now. The salaries of deputies were reduced by 40 percent. The prime minister's salary was halved. Ministers' salaries were reduced, telephone reimbursements were removed, and funds for fuel, offices, and other expenses were limited. The government presented this as a measure to reduce political privileges and save public funds.
The unprecedented agreement between the ruling party and the opposition to do themselves favors clearly shows only one thing: the rottenness of this political system, which the Tirana protest has decided to put an end to. Authoritarian regimes use this mechanism to give themselves stability and longevity. Therefore, Albanian parliamentarians, old and young, not directly voted for, but appointed and nominated on lists, are transformed into couch potatoes.
Here's what Fan Noli wrote about the gluttons:
"The lice are yellow worms with black heads, which grow from the wounds inflicted on Albania in its decline; ticks that you can cut off, but not remove from the body, they bite and gnaw.
Herodotus tells us that in the naval battle of Salamis, an Athenian seized a Persian ship with his right hand and did not let go until it was cut off; then he seized it with his left hand; that was cut off too; then he seized it with his teeth and did not let go until his head was cut off.
"If Herodotus were to come back to life, he would see that our armchair eaters are stronger than this legendary hero of ancient Greece. To tear them off their armchairs, you have to cut off not only their hands and heads, but also their legs and bodies."
Lini një Përgjigje