Kosovo Leaders Criticised Over Second Jobs

2013, Fifty-four Kosovo MPs take an extra job to earn outside income, according to Balkan Insight’s view of the 2012 wealth declarations to the Anti- Corruption Agency – at a time when about 45 per cent of the population are jobless.

Many public officials take on second jobs, often in teaching - and some say it sends the wrong message in a country with such high unemployment.

Kosovo Leaders Criticised Over Second Jobs Jeton Musliu/ Pristina/ BIRN /February 5, 2013 /14:26 Many public officials take on second jobs, often in teaching - and some say it sends the wrong message in a country with such high unemployment. Fifty-four Kosovo MPs take an extra job to earn outside income, according to Balkan Insight’s view of the 2012 wealth declarations to the Anti- Corruption Agency – at a time when about 45 per cent of the population are jobless. About 45 per cent of MPs have at least one additional job or source of income and some even have four or five. MPs earn a minimum 17,856 euro per year, with an additional 240 euro for each Assembly session attended. Universities are common employers of these officials because the 2011 Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest allows high-level state officials to conduct outside work related to “science, sport, education, culture and humanitarian activities”. Arsim Bajrami, of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, earns 12,000 euro a year from lecturing at the University of Pristina’s Law Faculty, for example. He also made 18,000 euro in 2011 in lecturing at another institution, the Kolegji Fama [Fame College]. “It’s relaxing to work with students because, with my experience, it’s an art,” said Bajrami, who also admitted earning 10,000 in book royalties in his 2012 wealth declaration. While Bajrami and the other officials employed in the educational sector aren’t breaking the law, some observers say they send a bad message to the public. “Such an approach by MPs insults the citizens of Kosovo,” said Driton Selmanaj, of the Kosovo Democratic Institute, which monitors the Kosovo assembly. “Most members of parliament haven’t understood that their role is to be devoted to their [primary] activities,” he added. Vjosa Osmani, an MP from the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, earned 12,600 euro from lecturing at the University of Pristina and the American University of Kosovo. Osmani defends her extra employment. “If you work 18 hours a day like me, you can be very efficient,” Osmani told Balkan Insight. “My schedule is not linked to the Assembly. The lectures are always in the evening or early inthe morning. “I haven’t taken anyone’s place at the university. I have all the necessary qualifications,” she added. The situation isn’t unique to Assembly members. Six of Kosovo’s 18 government ministers have additional sources of income, as do some judges, prosecutors, heads of public agencies and other senior officials. PDK MP Behar Selimi earned 5,000 euro in additional income in 2012 from teaching at two private colleges, Dardana and the University for Business and Technology. But he agrees that it’s wrong for public officials to hold several jobs in a country with a 45 per cent unemployment rate. “It’s legally fine but morally unjust,” Selimi said. “It’s a matter of personal values.” Selimi maintains that he’s not going against his own values because he teaches at the private colleges on an ad-hoc basis, not as an employee. Selimi suggested that the government needs a mechanism to evaluate the performance of everyone working in public institutions. “I don’t think they have the capacity to hold down two or three jobs,” he said. Hiring officials defended: The privately run University for Business and Technology in Pristina is actively interested in hiring prominent people with good professional and academic qualifications, university spokeswoman Naile Demiri said. Demiri says the university has hired a small number of politicians, and so far they’ve all performed their tasks “in conformity with teaching standards”. Ramush Haradinaj, the former prime minister and war-crimes indictee, now an MP, recently lectured at Pristina’s Academy of Fine Arts University. But it’s not known if he was paid for the appearance. Lulzim Tafa, rector of the AAB, defends its practice of bringing in officials to lecture, saying it is done in compliance with Kosovo’s labour laws. “The law allows everyone, apart from their primary job, to have the right to undertake additional part-time work,” Tafa said. Self-Determination MP Alma Lama says a distinction needs to be drawn between MPs who taught before their election to parliament and those who got their jobs afterwards. “Some MPs are exploiting their power to access private colleges,” Alma said. “But, using their power to reach them seems like a form of corruption to me.”

Log In

Kosovo Leaders Criticised Over Second Jobs

Related papers

Related papers

Related topics