Over two-thirds of the Karen State Hluttaw (parliament) civilian members of parliament (MPs) have not been paid for working last month Nan Khin Htwe Myint, the MP for Hpa-an Township’s Constituency 1, told KIC News.
The second term of the Karen Hluttaw began on 8 February and only five out of 17 civilian MPs – the speaker, the deputy speaker and three MPs – have received their February salaries, according to the MPs and officials from the state hluttaw office
Nan Khin Htwe Myint said: “There are 17 MPs in our state hlutttaw. Previously, there were also 17 MPs, so there hasn’t been any increase [in the number of MPs]. We were told we would get our [February] salaries when we are paid our salaries for next month [March]. When we asked [MPs from] other states all of them [said that they] had received their salaries. Only five out of 17 people got their salaries in our Karen State, the rest of us did not get them. I am not saying this because I want my salary, but I do not know what has happened. This is not practical.
The Karen Hluttaw Office Director, U Nay Linn explained to KIC that his office should only pay five MPs salaries and that was all his office had budgeted for. He said that the rest of the MPs are classified as state government ministers, so the state government pays their salaries.
Currently each state MP receives a salary of 500,000 kyats, but they will only receive 300,000 kyats for February as parliament only started on 8 February. They will start receiving their full monthly salary from the month of March.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
