Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 June 2019
A secret pay raise by Cabinet angers Palestinian public

By MOHAMMED DARAGH- ers and international travel
MEH expenses.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) The documents were
— The Palestinian labor viewed by The Associated
market in the West Bank Press and authenticated
was limping along in 2017, by the Palestinian officials.
with unemployment stub- After years in office, Ab-
bornly high and economic bas has seen his popularity
growth slowing. But that plummet. People are disil-
didn't stop the Palestinian lusioned by his failure to de-
Cabinet from secretly giv- liver an independent state,
ing itself a series of lavish his loss of the Gaza Strip to
payouts and perks, high- the rival Hamas movement
lighted by a 67% salary hike. and general economic
The payments and perks malaise. Unemployment in
were kept quiet for the past the West Bank is near 20%,
two years, but news of the and a typical salary for
Cabinet decision leaked those who do work, such
this week in a series of as civil servants, is roughly
documents posted anony- $700 to $1,000 a month.
mously to social media. The leaked documents
The revelations have have sparked widespread
rocked the West Bank, outrage on Palestinian
where the cash-strapped social media, with critics
government has been branding the government
forced to slash the salaries In this April 29, 2019, file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, chairs a session of a "farm" or "shop" for top
of its employees because the weekly cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah. officials. Amid the outrage,
of a financial crisis. Com- Associated Press the Palestinian Author-
ing during the Islamic holy ity has been forced to re-
month of Ramadan, a time Ehab Jareri. spoke on condition of ano- received $10,000 a year to spond.
of high expenses for strug- According to one leaked nymity because they were rent a house there, another Newly appointed Prime
gling families, the report document, the monthly not authorized to discuss document showed. Offi- Minister Mohammad
renewed outrage among salaries for Cabinet minis- the issue with the media. cials who already owned Shtayyeh, a longtime ad-
Palestinians who have long ters spiked from $3,000 to The pay raise was made Ramallah homes also viser to Abbas, has sus-
seen their leadership as out $5,000, while the prime min- retroactive to 2014, when reaped the lucrative bo- pended the pay raises and
of touch and rife with cor- ister's salary was raised to the Cabinet took office, nus. And in an extra boost, referred the issue to Abbas
ruption. $6,000. giving the ministers an extra the government inflated "to review it and take legal
"The cabinet members The raises were kept secret bonus of tens of thousands the exchange rate, giving measures." While the issue
behaved as if the govern- from the public and ap- of dollars, the officials said. them a roughly 17% pre- is investigated, ministers will
ment is their private shop proved by President Mah- The benefits did not end mium when converting the receive half their salaries,
and they can take as moud Abbas, two senior there. Ministers who live salaries to Israeli shekels. like most other government
much as they want without officials said, overriding a outside the West Bank city Cabinet members already employees, according to
being held accountable," 2004 law that fixed minis- of Ramallah, the seat of enjoy government com- government spokesman
said political commentator ters' salaries. The officials the Palestinian Authority, pensation for personal driv- Ibrahim Milhim.q

Gunman out on parole kills 4 in Australian city of Darwin

By ROD McGUIRK those resulting in at least lice," Kershaw said.
Associated Press four deaths excluding the The woman who was
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) shooter. wounded did not have seri-
— A man who was out on In Tuesday's rampage, ous injuries, he said.
parole was arrested after four men were killed and a The Health Department
fatally shooting four men woman was wounded at had earlier said two people
and wounding a woman five places around Darwin, were taken to a hospital
in an hour-long downtown said Northern Territory Po- with gunshot wounds and
rampage Tuesday in the lice Commissioner Reece both were in stable condi-
northern Australian city of Kershaw. tion. It was not immediately
Darwin, police said. The 45-year-old suspect clear if the second victim
Police did not reveal a mo- was released from prison had been injured in an un-
tive for the shotgun attack, on parole in January and related shooting.
but ruled out terrorism. was wearing an electron- Kershaw said the man was In this image made from video, police proceed to apprehend
It was Australia's third mass ic monitoring bracelet, arrested after he contact- a suspect on the ground next to a white truck, Tuesday, June 4,
shooting since the coun- Kershaw said. Police did ed a senior police officer. 2019, in Darwin Australia.
try introduced tough gun not say why he had been An Australian Broadcasting Associated Press
laws in response to a 1996 in prison or whether the Corp. reporter said she saw
massacre in which a lone bracelet helped police ar- police tackle and taser the a hospital. The suspect had "This is not the Darwin we
gunman armed with two rest him. gunman at a busy intersec- yet to be charged. know," Gunner said. "This
semi-automatic assault "He is an individual who's tion. Northern Territory Chief Min- may be an event you pre-
rifles killed 35 people in Tas- well known to police and Kershaw did not explain ister Michael Gunner de- pare for, but this is never an
mania state. Mass shoot- has a number of interac- why the suspect was being scribed the incident as an event you want to respond
ings are usually defined as tions adverse with the po- held under police guard in "incredibly difficult night." to."q