Over the past week, we've told you about the Government Press Office's newest information consultant, Geovannie Brackett, who's contract stipulates that he'll be making upwards of $42,000 a year.
That's a lot of money.
And as we've told you, other public servants, including teachers and police officers, work for decades before seeing that kind of pay cheque.
But Minister Musa said that the comparison is apples and oranges… or more like avocados.
Courtney Menzies:
"He dah your Bally, is it his political loyalty that got him this job?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"I will say categorically, it was not his friendship with me that managed to get him any job. As I have said before, Geovannie, like your good selves, comes from a media background. He is very media savvy and I'm sure that the government press office saw that in him in hiring him, I absolutely did not have any say whatsoever in Geovannie getting hired by the press office so you could ease up with that now, Courtney."
Courtney Menzies:
"Sir but when you think about it, your own officers, they work for decades and they don't make anything close to $42,000 [a year]."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Which officers?"
Courtney Menzies:
"Your police officers. They work 20 years, 30 years..."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"There are contracts all throughout the government depending on your qualifications and your skills that are offered to different people in the public service so I would not want to compare and contrast that, you'd have to ask the government press office what it is that Geovannie does at the press office, his scope of work, and his terms of reference so you'd have to find that out, but you can't compare that to the work that officers do."
Courtney Menzies:
"But doesn't it bother you or aren't you curious considering how hard your officers work to not even make close to that salary?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"I 100% agree with you, I would want to increase everybody's salary, not just police officers, public officers are well to a higher standard, that's something I would want to see, of course."
