Saturday December 13 could become a memorable day in Bulgaria's history if the police fulfil their intentions to protest openly against their superior, Interior Minister Mihail Mikov, on account of being underpaid. The Interior Ministry Act is clear on the matter. It bans the ministry's employees from expressing any kind of political opinion.

The law does not stipulate, however, whether protesting against low salaries and forfeited Christmas bonuses qualifies as an apolitical action. This loophole may have encouraged anonymous police to contemplate organising various protests in front of the ministry's building on December 13. One such option could see police simply gathering and smoking cigarettes outside the ministry, emulating the behaviour of military officers in the mid-1990s when they had similar grievances.

The fact that ordinary police are underpaid is no secret. Both the media and society have simply accepted it as part of the everyday difficulties faced by Bulgaria since the fall of communism 19 years ago. This time, the debate was triggered almost out of nowhere thanks to a banal comment from Tsvetan Tsvetanov, chairperson of the largest party in opposition, the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB).

On December 9, Tsvetanov, a former Interior Ministry officer himself, told private national broadcaster bTV that there was discontent among police and that a protest would not surprise him. Approached for a comment, Mikov told bTV that Tsvetanov's words were tantamount to political provocation. At first it seemed as if the ministry had once again become involved in political struggles since a nationwide protest could easily become a threat to the Government, not just Mikov.

Soon the media discovered the source of Tsvetanov's words. This was a forum organised by police where they shared their view on possible protests. Their comments revealed that much of the bitterness centred on a recent statement that Christmas bonuses would be cancelled. Others expressed dismay that some law enforcement bodies were being paid more than the Interior Ministry, as is the case with the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

Mikov must have taken the police's views seriously, because he made a live appearance on public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television hours after Tsvetanov's appearance on bTV. The fact that the Interior Ministry's general commissionaire Pavlin Dimitrov, the second-in-command in the ministry, had already expressed his support for his subordinates might have been one of the reasons for Mikov's media stunt. Especially considering Minkov's comments earlier this year - on assuming his position - that corruption within the ministry could be countered by higher police salaries.

Viewers saw Mikov account for the financial state of the ministry. They also heard his message that costs must be reduced and that there would be no Christmas bonuses. Rather than increasing salaries for its more than 60 000 personal, the ministry had decided to spend money on equipment, replacing Soviet-made vehicles and building new premises, Mikov said. "People should not compare themselves with SANS or the Defence Ministry because the former is not part of the Interior Ministry and the latter managed to cut thousands of its employees and save money for salary increases and bonuses," he said.

The next media stunt was orchestrated by Emil Rashev, the little-known head of the National Police Union (NPU). He said that the NPU was not behind the protest but that he supported the idea of one. He also said that he was, in fact, planning to organise a protest next February. "We want to renew dialogue with the ministry on these issues," he told BNT.

Referring to the 500 leva monthly average salary within the ministry, he said that employees were disappointed that their hopes for a rise had come to nothing. "With all this talk about the record-high budget surplus, people hoped for it to be raised to 1000 leva. Instead they are told that the ministry's budget for 2009 will remain the same," he said. "It is natural for them to feel disappointed."