A very good suggestion by Mr. Juman Yassin!

Jul 08, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The former Chief Magistrate of Guyana, Mr. K. Juman-Yassin, has made a wonderful suggestion in a letter which appeared in the Kaieteur News.
The now President of the Guyana Olympic Association has suggested that the frequent flyer miles accumulated by Government officials not be used by those officials but be accumulated in a pool to be used for needy cases, such as sending sick children overseas for medical attention.
The suggestion made by Mr. Yassin is one example of the sort of small change, which can have a big impact. Right now there are a great many government officials, including the President, who travel overseas on government business.
They earn frequent flyer miles on these trips, which are paid for by the taxpayers’ of Guyana.
Any benefit in terms of flying miles resulting from these trips should rightly accrue to either the State rather than the individuals in their private capacities.
Frequent flyer miles obtained by someone in their official capacity can be used by them in their personal capacity.
Thus, if you are a government official who travels very often and you accumulate miles, which would allow you a free trip, then you can use these miles for personal trips.
Frequent flyer miles can be transferred, that is, a person who earns these miles whether on government business or not, can use these miles either in their personal capacities.
Frequent flyer miles can also be used to purchase tickets for family members. Thus, it is possible for a government official to earn miles on government expense and then to utilize these miles for the purposes of a family member.
The President of the Guyana Olympic Association is suggesting that these miles be allowed to accumulate into a central pool and be used, to cite a few examples, for helping sportspersons for children who have to go overseas for medical treatment.
I think this is an excellent idea and something that the President should implement immediately.
It will help reduce the problems faced by many athletes who today have to virtually go around begging for sponsors to finance their visits overseas to participate in international tournaments. I distinctly remember a few years ago reading about some amateur boxers who were forced to raise their own airfares to participate in an international tournament. Not all were able to do so.
This suggestion therefore by Mr. Juman Yassin is one, which can help to allay these problems once the airlines that offer these frequent flyer miles agree to a policy that would allow miles gained from one person to be used for the benefit of another person who is not a family member of the person gaining the miles.
It may be unreasonable to ask the airlines to allow miles to be accumulated in a central pool; this would not be in the financial interests of the airlines, but certainly a person who has accumulated enough miles to gain a free ticket to some destination should be allowed to transfer those miles to an athlete or to a sick child who has to go overseas for treatment.
I therefore urge President Jagdeo who must have gained sufficient miles for this year alone to qualify for a free airfare to begin this initiative by donating his miles to a needy person. I would also urge him to ask all his Ministers of the government who would have gained sufficient miles to similarly qualify to donate their mileage to either an athlete or to those seeking medical treatment overseas.
I think it will make a world of a difference if this can be done.
Allow me also at this time to extend my congratulations to the President of Guyana on assuming the Chairmanship of the Caribbean Community. It is another feather in the cap of the Guyanese leader that he has once again become the Chairperson. Not many leaders of the region have that distinction of being a serving Chairman more than once in their political career and in the case of President Jagdeo, this is the second time that he has become Chairman of CARICOM.
All Guyana should be proud of this because it speaks to the high esteem in which our President is held.
Imagine how more respected he will be if all his Heads of Government colleagues within the Region should wake up one morning and read that the President of Guyana has adopted a policy that any frequent flyer miles gained by any government official – be it minister or public servant – while on government business, should be used to help our sportsmen and women or children seeking medical attention overseas.

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A very good suggestion by Mr. Juman Yassin!

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A very good suggestion by Mr. Juman Yassin!

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