It is our turn to put our hands to our mouth — in disbelief. The members of the National Assembly say they are forced to live on an — almost — shoestring budget.

In a session reported in this paper on Friday, they pointed out the few peanuts they are given for the exalted job they are expected to do.

As one member came up with an impromptu breakdown of the various heads under which he had to pay every month it became abundantly clear that his was not the best career option out there. Clearly, professionals in other walks have been comparatively better at establishing their worth.

In bringing up the issue, an old rule was broken. The principle was that while workers were always within their rights to ask for higher wages, it did not become them to question what a fellow worker was being paid.

Examine: Minister ‘helpless’ to ensure NA attendance

During this debate about an upward revision of MNAs’ salaries, attention was drawn to the higher pays given to members of the provincial assemblies — with special mention of the riches being made by those sitting in the privileged Balochistan Assembly.

The speaker of the National Assembly, who sounded quite sympathetic to the cause of the members of the house, was quoted as questioning the gap between the salaries of the MNAs and MPAs. But perhaps, for the satisfaction of his own colleagues he needed to be specific that when he talked about bringing the salaries of the provincial and national lawmakers at par with each other, he wasn’t talking, God forbid, about rationalising the MPAs’ pay, bringing it down to the level of that of the MNAs.

Nor should anyone use the debate to nurse notions that the MPAs were in any way inferior to those sitting in the national parliament. The best answer will be to pay the lawmakers according to the market and then keep a close eye on them to ensure that they are performing and are not taking undue advantage of their position.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2016