Title: Inside the Budget of Public Service: An MP’s Account of Parliamentary Resources
In the intricate world of political service, the financial realities for those in office are often a subject of public curiosity. A recent discussion, prompted by a lawmaker’s social media post, has brought the compensation and operational costs for members of Iran’s Parliament into focus.
The Compensation Structure
In an interview with Khabar Online, Ahmad Bigdeli, the representative for Khodabandeh, provided a detailed breakdown. He clarified that a parliamentarian’s monthly remuneration is distinct from the budget allocated to run their constituency office.
According to Bigdeli, the base salary for a representative is approximately 40 million tomans. A separate, similar amount is provided for office expenditures. He emphasized that the combined total of these two streams remains below 100 million tomans per month.
The Unseen Operational Costs
The core of the interview highlighted the significant operational burdens placed on this budget. The allocated office funds must cover a vast array of expenses, including:
- Rent for the constituency office.
- All administrative supplies, from furniture to stationery.
- Hospitality for constituents and meeting costs.
- Travel between the representative’s home district and Tehran, which occurs multiple times monthly.
Bigdeli provided a striking example: “Even the cost of an oil change or fuel for my car must be paid from this budget. It is not like other government departments where fuel quotas or maintenance costs are provided.”
The Human Resource Challenge
The law permits each MP to have five advisors, who are formally seconded from other government departments and receive their base salary from their original posts. However, Bigdeli explained a practical challenge: “No one is willing to work with just a minimal base salary because an MP’s office must be responsive to the people 24/7.”
Consequently, representatives often feel compelled to use a portion of their office budget to provide additional support to these essential staff members, who bear a heavy workload without the overtime or mission pay available to other public servants.
A Comparative Perspective
Drawing a comparison with other public officials, Bigdeli stated that an MP has access to fewer resources. “A representative does not even have the facilities available to a district administrator (bakhshdar),” he noted, pointing out that such administrators have dedicated buildings, multiple staff, drivers, and vehicles at their disposal.
A Call for Service, Not Privilege
When questioned about the financial rationale for seeking office, given these constraints, the representative underscored the nature of public duty. “If someone truly wants to be the people’s representative, they should not be thinking about how much salary they get or what facilities are provided to them,” Bigdeli asserted.
He framed the role as a voluntary calling: “We put ourselves forward for the people’s vote, telling them to elect us because we can be good representatives for them. We are here to defend the people’s rights and to be a bridge between the people and the governance.”
The discussion concluded with his views on the need for electoral law reforms to help reduce campaign costs, thereby ensuring that the path to public service is accessible for those motivated by duty rather than financial gain.