Panaji (Goa) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said that the salaries paid to the members of the legislative assembly will be increased in near future to meet up with their financial liabilities arising out of the post.
Parrikar was addressing National Press Day function organized by local journalists’ union in the city this morning.
“I am going to increase the salaries paid to the MLAs from Goa legislative assembly. I am the only person who has bluntly said all the time that, if MLAs don’t get proper funds, they will have a reason to start corruption,” the chief minister said.
Parrikar said that he does not mean that after giving the hiked salaries, every MLA will be clean but at least there will not be a reason for them to indulge in corruption.
The chief minister said that the members of the legislative assembly are always under pressure to meet the increasing financial demands from the people including that of the need to dole out donations to them.
“The MLA is constantly under pressure to generate finances to meet the demands for donations. The politician in current situation has to be 24 hours on duty so he hardly gets time to devote to his business. That is why he should be paid reasonably well,” Parrikar said.
He stated that the people usually hold an individual politician accountable and not the political party due to which the elections usually fractured mandate.
“Those who have lost this accountability have always lost the election. I feel bad to admit this but people accept corruption but not arrogance. Whoever has shown the trend of arrogance has been sent back,” Parrikar said.
The chief minister said that people should not hold individual politicians but the political parties accountable. “If you can see the fractured mandates, one of the reasons behind it is that the people hold an individual accountable and not the party,” he added.
“The voters should hold a political set as accountable. Because if you don’t elect a majority, you are going to get a mess and then you won’t be able to hold anyone accountable,” the chief minister said.
Speaking about the media, Parrikar said: “as a politician, I have dared to criticize the media because the way you (media) have a right to write against me, I also enjoy it (right) to question you.”
“You should not feel the pressure because chief minister doesn’t like certain comments. I feel that the news, are not views, you can always use the inside pages to express your views,” he suggested.
Parrikar further said “I am a person who believes in the thinking that “I defer with you, but I will fight till the last for your right to defer with me.”
The chief minister adviced that the newspapers should be an honest carrier of the news to common man.
“But we have seen the trend that things are being distorted in some of the newspapers. When a journalist writes false news that time he is sacrificing his principles. There are many who try to push in rumours through the newspapers,” he said.
Parrikar said news should not have views of the writers. If you want to give your views you can carry it as an analysis. “If something has not happened and someone prints it as it has happened, then it would amount to biggest disservice,” he commented.
