Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) Dr Roger Luncheon said that the consideration to move the eligibility age for National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pensions from 60 to 65 is “simply a recommendation by the NIS reform committee.”
Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, the cabinet Secretary noted the concerns of citizens over the past few weeks about the proposal.
“Some citizens have, over the past few weeks, been expressing concern about this move and have stated that they do not agree with it as some pensioners may not even live to see the age of 65 having to wait ten years after they retire at 55,” he said.
“What the reform committee did or what it was set up to do was to examine comprehensively what was in the public domain, what the public wanted or the views of its current management operations and in light of the statutes that said, foremost, you have to maintain an economically and financially valuable scheme to make recommendations on the way forward, and this is what they have done. They have made recommendations.”
Dr Luncheon called it unfortunate that there seems to be a presumption that the recommendations of today will be the policy of tomorrow.
“I hasten to assure Guyanese and particularly, those who have been disturbed about age 65 being the new age of eligibility for pension being put into place tomorrow or next week or next month, that that is not so.
He said that from Cabinet, where the proposals are at present, they will be taken to Parliament in the form of legislation.
