Images circulating online purporting to show that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had promised a 50 per cent salary increase to public servants while campaigning prior to the March 2020 elections are fake.
According to Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag, such a promise was never made by the PPP/C in its elections manifesto.
None of the images posted to any of the PPP/C social media platforms can confirm the widespread belief that the PPP/C had made that promise.
Deputy Speaker Lennox Shuman has also been involved in disseminating the fake image which was reportedly photoshopped.
Parag earlier clarified to the News Room that the 50 per cent salary increase image which has gained traction is actually fake and was never a promise made by party.
The minister dismissed it as an altered “photoshopped” image that was posted in the public domain during the campaign to give the impression that it was a PPP/C promise.
“At no point in time there was a 50 per cent increase in salaries promised to public sector employees,” she clarified during an interview with the News Room.
Pointing to the party’s manifesto, Parag said that promise cannot be found on any page in the document.
“We have facts and we go by facts. Our manifesto speaks to what the facts are.
“There is a 50,000 target for house lots, there is a 50, 000 target for jobs, there is nothing about a 50% increase in salaries.
“That was propaganda, that was possibly maliciously put there so as to twist the government arm to do something that it cannot do at this point in time,” the Public Service Minister told the News Room.
The minister said whatever promises were made will be fulfilled.
“We don’t hide; we are not hiding.”
Asked then what the specific promise in relation to increases for public servants, was, Parag said: “there wasn’t a specific figure put to salary increases for public servants. What was promised is an improvement in their lives and we are implementing initiatives to achieve this.”
On Thursday, the Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh announced a seven per cent retroactive salary increase for teachers and members of the disciplined services, constitutional office holders, as well as government pensioners.
He also announced that frontline workers in the local health sector will benefit from a massive $400 million payout that has been set aside by the government.
The announcement was following a Cabinet meeting earlier on in the day.
