Malta. Pensions boomerang hits MPs

The ill-conceived plan to enact legislation giving members of Parliament more privileges backfired. It also severely hit the reputation of parliamentarians to get their priorities right when discussing their own remuneration packages.

In a nutshell, the primary provision of the proposed legislation was to give the opportunity for MPs who served in Parliament for one term to qualify for a full MP pension. So far, an MP has to serve two five-year terms to be eligible for a pension.

In a rare behind-the-scenes agreement between the government and the Opposition, it first appeared that there would be a consensus in Parliament on the approval of such a change. The Democratic Party on the Opposition side was kept in the dark. It protested vociferously when the details of the changes were made public. Its two MPs expressed the majority’s disapproval of schemes whereby the government and the Opposition reach agreement to provide financially for their retirement while giving a low priority to the dire situation that thousands of pensioners face on a daily basis because of the inadequacy of the national pension.

Read More: Times of Malta