Withdraw the Hamilton Green Pension Bill

Nov 22, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The APNU-AFC coalition government will present in Parliament, the former Prime Minister, Hamilton Green’s Pension Bill, 2016. The bill was written specifically for Mr. Green and it provides for him to be paid a pension for his tenure as Prime Minister between 1985 and 1992. This pension is to be based on the salary of a current Prime Minister – a salary the Mr. Green did not earn. In addition, Mr. Green is to receive the full benefits of a former President – a position which he never held. TIGI is also aware that Mr. Green was awarded by the same coalition government, as one of its first acts, the country’s second highest national honour.  It appears that the PNC faction of the coalition government is seeking to financially take care of one of its own former strongmen through the public purse.
It is significant that the coalition has singled out Mr. Green for special treatment while ignoring the contributions and sacrifices of far more deserving, decent and patriotic individuals among whom Mr. Rashleigh Jackson stands out on the Government’s side. And what about those like Eusi Kwayana and Moses Bhagwan?
The sheer extravagance of the provisions of the bill specifically for Mr. Green who is a longstanding PNC politician, is an insult to all hardworking nurses, teachers, policemen and public servants who are denied a substantial increase in their salaries.  Haven’t these people been “skimming” by for too long? Guyana is too poor for its poor citizens to bankroll politicians and party stalwarts.
The decision on the Green Bill defies logic, history and decency. It recognizes and rewards a man above and beyond. His role in the most sordid period and events of Guyana is second to no other living Guyanese. Mr. Green’s not­-too-peaceful role in workers’ struggle for bread and justice is well-documented. The failure of the police to interview him in relation to some grave high-profile criminal events remains a blot on its reputation and this goes a long way in explaining the distrust of the institution that continues today.
Have we conveniently forgotten that Mr Green was only once democratically elected as Mayor in 1994? Thereafter, he squatted in that office until 2016 without local government elections – a grave assault against the democratic rights of the citizens of the municipality of Georgetown. Mr. Green’s 22 years reign as Mayor is second only to the PPP’s almost 23 years in office during which there were four general elections. During his extended and unelected reign as Mayor the city sank deeper into garbage and filth.
The arguments will be made about the “pittance” which Mr. Green receives as a pension for his service as Prime Minister decades ago. At the time the law was passed, Guyana’s economy and exchange rates were reasonable. It was the reckless and undemocratic policies pursued by the government of which Mr. Green was Prime Minister that led to the destruction of the economy and the plunging of the exchange rate. How can the government in good conscience squeeze the citizens to now bail Mr. Green out above and beyond what is due, when they have also suffered the consequences of these policies?
TIGI furthermore questions the genesis of this bill. The indecent haste with which it was quietly written to be presented in Parliament without significant public knowledge beforehand, confirms the impropriety of its legislative intent. TIGI calls on the government to divulge the date of the cabinet decision that lead to the drafting of the bill and to explain the lack of public disclosure via post Cabinet briefings which served to negate robust public debate. Are post Cabinet press briefings now carefully sifted to withhold controversial decisions and to avoid public scrutiny? Does the government intend to send the bill to a select committee for debate and public contribution or will it be scurried through the stages in one day?
That we have to ask these questions is symptomatic of the reality that the nation has been blindsided. This bill is outrageous, unfair, vulgar, in poor taste and is an affront to good governance, accountability and transparency. One takes public office to serve the people rather than for personal enrichment but since the coalition government took office it has been unashamed and apologetic about lining the pockets of politicians and friends of the party. Should this bill be rushed through Parliament, it would confirm the position that the political elite of Guyana, on all sides of the political spectrum, are primarily concerned with protecting the financial interests of their own at the expense of the Guyanese people.
We are awed by the fact that in such critical times when citizens are faced with an upsurge in violent criminal assaults on their persons and property, unemployment, economic hardship and high cost of living, time and effort has been diverted to crafting an offensive piece of legislation to benefit one controversial individual of nebulous contribution. We are awed by the fact that in such times this is a priority on the government’s legislative agenda.
This bill is repugnant in that it
(1)    is made in the name of a single individual rather than for all Prime Ministers,
(2)    gives Mr. Green access to benefits of which he is not entitled based on the offices he has held,
(3)    provides Mr. Green with a pension based on a salary that he never earned,
(4)    gives special consideration to a man who is especially undeserving of such recognition given his historically divisive role in society,
(5)    perpetuates the enrichment of politicians and friends of the government at the expense of the citizens, made possible only through the power entrusted to those in government and
(6)    is rushed to the process without regards to transparency and good governance in general.
TIGI wishes to place on record our strong objections to this bill and we call for it to be withheld and not presented at all. TIGI also calls on the AFC’s faction of government to clarify its position on this bill and set out cogent reasons why it presumably supports it, given the absence of any strenuous objection from them.
T. Thomas for
Transparency Institute Guyana Inc.

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