How does a common Macedonian citizen feel when SDSM's VP Radmila Sekerinska will earn 1,000 euros monthly severance pay for an entire year, even though she has already submitted paperwork that she earns 5,000 euros per month in rent, for which she doesn't pay any tax.
Is it ethical for wealthy businessmen like Fijat Canovski, Risto Penov, Imer Selmani to be earning the same severance pay, even though all three have multitude of other sources of income.
Is it moral for the current Vice Prime Minister Vladimir Pesevski once his mandate is over to receive the 1,000 euro severance pay for an entire year even though he came from a business environment that he can quickly re-enter?
The Macedonian public is reacting to this morally and ethically absurd position of Macedonian MPs, particularly when one takes into account the extremely low paycheques received by families who rely on social assistance.
Severance pay for MP vs Social insurance cheque
To receive a 1,000 euro severance pay for an entire year, all an MP needs to do is write "Yes" on a piece of paper and submit the same to the Parliamentary archives. The Parliament commission will receive the MP's agreement to severance pay and monthly payments begin. It is of no importance if the MP is a multi millionaire, or if he is earning money from other sources. None of this matters.
Lets compare the procedure for MPs, with the one for a poor Macedonian family asking for Government assistance which ranges from 35 to 100 euros per month. A Macedonian family needs to prove to the Government that it has nothing on its name (no car, no house, no land, no income of any kind). The key word is "prove". This means a family must gather tax information, land information and other documentation from multiple Governmental Agencies. Once the pile of documents is complete, needs to be submitted and await response. These documents are submitted once a year, should a family forget to submit it the following year, their social assistance is cut for the next six months.
VMRO-DPMNE MP Aleksandar Nikolovski submitted a revision to the law, in which MP's severance pay is cut from one year for everyone, to 3-12 months, depending on how long an MP has been in Parliament.
Why the ruling Government has been quiet on this issue for such a long time is likely because the Government and the Opposition are staunch allies on only one thing - their privileges.
Aleksandar Nikolovski states, it is up to the MP's conscious whether or not they will use the severance pay.
SDSM MPs disagree. According to them, it doesn't matter how long someone is an MP or whether they go to Parliament or not, the severence pay is there for them to get before and after their mandate is over.
Has anyone ever used the Parliament severance pay?
As a matter of fact, dozens have. In 2002, 51 MPs received severance pay for a year. In 2006 30 MPs, in 2008 a whopping 73 MPs asked for severance pay, but only 22 received it. But these are only MPs. What about the Government officials who also receive the same severance pay? In 2006, 590 Government officials received 1,000 euros severance pay for a year.
Huge majority of these people are bankers, doctors, businessmen who once their mandate is over return to their work area or business. Yet, not a single one of them gives up the severance pay, allowed by law. And who makes the 'law'? The same people who get the severance pay. How convenient.
