PPP had refused to operationalize PM’s benefits for Hamilton Green

PPP had refused to operationalize PM’s benefits for Hamilton Green – PNC General Secretary

Nov 23, 2016 News

During a press conference hosted yesterday by the People’s National Congress Reform at Congress Place, Sophia, General Secretary of the party, Oscar Clarke, said that the Prime Minister’s benefits for Hamilton Green are now being dealt with since the former People’s Progressive Party Civic administration had refused to operationalize Green’s benefits.

According to Clarke, his party had put systems in place prior to 1992 when the PPP/C took office. He said that it was due to the PPP/C failing to act on those plans which have caused the issue to come up now.

He said, “Systems were put in place during our time, but they were not actualised by the previous government and that is the reason why it is happening now.”

There have been some comments in the media that Green should not be given the benefits, alleging that he served during a time when Guyana would have been at its worst. To this question, Clarke said that Green was a minister of government since 1968 but more particularly he served as prime minister from 1985 to 1992.

He further said, “I think Mr. Green is more than entitled to benefits as prime minister.”

Clarke said that there is law dealing with president and prime minister’s benefits. However, according to him, Greene was not given his benefits. “How do you think former Prime Minister Sam Hinds got his benefits? He got as a result of the law which had been passed, which they operationalized in his interest but not in the interest of Prime Minister Green who has served during the time the law was in the books.”

He said that Hinds is getting a Presidential pension because he was President although he served for less than a year. He then continued as Prime Minister until 2015. Clarke said that Hinds is accessing the higher of the two pension benefits.

Clarke was asked if he agreed with current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo that the name of the pension bill should be changed, thereby erasing Hamilton Green’s name from it. The PNCR General Secretary said that he agrees with Nagamootoo.

Last Friday the Prime Minister, at an Alliance for Change press conference, said that the draft Bill dealing with the pension and benefits for Hamilton Green should perhaps not have named him.

He said that it should be left open to include and speak to current and future ex-Prime Ministers, Nagamootoo said, “It may be an issue that we may want to re-look as to why it was the Hamilton Green pension bill and not former Prime Minister Pension bill.

“If you want something to be seen as equitable, it has to have a broader rubric that allows it maybe to have it as a futuristic piece of legislation rather than simply trying to go back to correct and anomaly.”

Nagamootoo also said that a process will begin to ensure that all former parliamentarians and government ministers receive the pension and benefits commensurate with the positions they held.

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PPP had refused to operationalize PM’s benefits for Hamilton Green – PNC General Secretary

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PPP had refused to operationalize PM’s benefits for Hamilton Green – PNC General Secretary

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