About 100 top public servants and constitutional office holders in Papua New Guinea will receive increases in accommodation and car allowances similar to those approved by Parliament for MPs recently.
The Post Courier reports that acting Deputy Prime Minister Dr Puka Temu confirmed this when defending the rise awarded by the MPs to themselves in the last Parliament session.
A motion was passed to increase MPs accommodation allowances by 42 percent and raise vehicle allowances by 50 percent.
Constitutional office holders including the Chief Justice and judges, as well as the Chief Ombudsman, Commander of the Defence Force and Police Commissioner and departmental heads are to benefit from the same increases in allowances.
Dr Temu says the Salaries and Remuneration Commission based their decision to recommend the increases on the fact that the MPs salaries and allowances were not reviewed in the past five to seven years.
He says the Trade Union Congress, which has led opposition to the increases and is planning a massive protest march over the issue, may be misleading the public by pinpointing the MPs only.