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The Former Presidents Bill is an outrage

May 09, 2009 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
It’s an outrage! Our parliamentary representatives continue to abuse the privilege entrusted to them by the electorate, and show gross disregard to the taxpayers.
The Former Presidents Bill is a travesty and should be reversed forthwith for the simple reason that it is unjust and Guyanese cannot afford it.
In 2011 when President Jagdeo leaves office he will be 47 years old. The average life expectancy for a Guyanese male is 65 years.
The total cost of Mr. Jagdeo’s pension to the taxpayers will be G$216 million.
Because this is a non-taxable income Mr. Jagdeo gives nothing back to the society that funds his post-presidency extravagance.
In addition to the taxpayers having to pay G$216M in pension, we also have to pay for the remaining of Mr. Jagdeo’s life, unlimited telephone and electricity bills; personal, household, field and administrative staff; medical expenses for himself and dependants; security for his person and residence; motor vehicles owned and maintained by the state; toll-free transportation; and two first class tickets to England, yearly.
There is no stipulation where Mr. Jagdeo can access medical care or maximum amount paid for such care; the super pension and exclusion of income tax; lifetime security and other financial burdens to the taxpayers who cannot even afford basic necessities for themselves after having to pay 33.3 % in PAYE, 16 % VAT, vehicle taxes, tolls, rent, and rates and taxes on incomes that are not even a tenth of Mr. Jagdeo’s proposed monthly pension, much less the other super entitlements.
For instance, if Mr. Jagdeo wants to go to the best hospital in the world, the taxpayers will have to fund it while local public hospitals await upgrading and many cannot afford local private care, much less overseas.
No other former president in the world has the package Guyana will pay Mr. Jagdeo come 2011! In wealth, Guyana ranks among the poorest in the world, with Haiti better off than us. Our expenditures are more than half of our Gross Domestic Product, and growing.
The disputed employment rate is more than 9 percent and growing. Corruption is widespread and growing, with Guyana ranking 123rd out of 179 countries in the Transparency International’s Corruption Index. We have the most government ministers in the region, and the weakest dollar.
This is the economic reality in which we live and will sustain Mr. Jagdeo’s princely lifestyle, post-presidency.
The world’s largest economy, the USA, which is also among the richest, does not pay its former presidents such a package.
Currently some of the benefits/entitlements former USA Presidents enjoy are: taxable pension equivalent to that of the head of an executive department (Executive Level I), which is a slash in income by more than half; medical care by military hospitals, and an option to contribute to a federal funded health plan; office staff with stipulated pay; and security for 10 years.
M. A. Bacchus

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