Miqati Tells Cabinet he is Willing to Reconsider Salary Boost for Top Officials

Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced readiness on Wednesday to reexamine a government decision to increase the public sector's salaries after criticism over the boost in the wages of the country's top three leaders, ministers and lawmakers, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said.

“Miqati said that it is possible to review the salary scale in terms of the increase in the wages of the ministers, MPs and leaders,” al-Daouq told reporters in a briefing following a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail.

According to a newspaper report, the president, the speaker and the premier will collectively have an increase of around LL 6,200,000 while the ministers and legislators will be allocated around LL4,300,000.

This implies the state's treasury will have to hold a burden of around LL8,300,000,000 each year, As Safir daily said Tuesday.

The salaries boost raised several question marks and drew criticism given the severe financial difficulties of the treasury and the private sector in the country.

Speaker Nabih Berri has already announced that his Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc will seek to reject the raise for the legislators.

Al-Daouq quoted Miqati as telling the cabinet that the security situation in the past two weeks witnessed a tangible improvement after several measures were taken by the Lebanese army and security forces.

“These security measures will not be seasonal,” he stressed. “They will continue until security is restored.”