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Fmr. President’s Benefits Bill to be amended to allow unlimited benefits – AG
(Kaieteur News) – The Former President’s (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill will on Friday be read for the first time when the National Assembly convenes. The Bill seeks to provide unlimited benefits to the country’s former presidents.
The Bill seeks to repeal the 2015 changes that were made to the 2009 former Presidents’ Benefits (and other facilities) Act 2009 by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition government.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC, during his weekly programme “Issues in the news” outlined that the APNU government amendments repealed the former open-ended 2009 Act and placed specific caps on state-funded benefits for former Heads of State.
“So, to bring normalcy to the situation, we have decided to repeal the 2015 or 2016 APNU+AFC law and to bring back into force the 2009 Former President Benefits and Other Facilities Bill. We made minor changes because that we believe that’s the standard that all presidents should receive,” Nandlall stated.
He reminded that the intention of the 2009 legislation was to codify into law and make certain what benefits a former president ought to receive upon retirement.
“Of course, politicians on the opposition benches scandalised the legislation, made it into a political football, they propagandised it in a terrible way and when APNU was in government what they did was they put some restrictions on it,” the AG stated.
Former President Donald Ramotar
He argued that the APNU+AFC amendments to the law was intended to restrict the benefits former President Bharrat Jagdeo, former President Sam Hinds and President Donald Ramotar were receiving.
“But the Act doesn’t operate retrospectively. The Act operates prospectively…We are repealing those amendments,” Nandlall said noting that the new amendments will benefit all former presidents including David Granger.
Former President David Granger
He also added that the amendments will also ensure that future presidents receive the same package when they retire.
The 2015 amendments allowed for former Presidents to receive $25,000 per month for electricity, a further $25,000 for water and another $25,000 for telephone. The legislation states that former Presidents will be given services of personal and household staff, including a gardener but, the total number of such staffers cannot exceed three persons.
There is also a limit of $200,000 per annum for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by a former President for himself and his children below the age of eighteen years and his spouse, provided that the money was not spent on medical attention and treatment obtained abroad or at private health facilities in Guyana, and were available in Guyana at government institutions.
Former Presidents are also given full-time personal security, not exceeding two persons including those at the place of residence.
They will also be entitled to the provision of not more than two motor vehicles owned and maintained by the State; toll free transportation; and an annual vacation allowance equivalent to the cost of two first class return airfares provided on the same conditions applicable to Judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature.
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