Dear Editor,
As the new government prepares its legislative agenda, I would suggest that substantively and symbolically the first legislation to be introduced should be a revamped Former Presidents Benefits Bill followed by legislation which limits the remuneration and benefits paid to sitting presidents, ministers and members of Parliament.
The passage of the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill in the 10th Parliament generated national interest and controversy not only because the PPP/C viewed the legislation as an attack on former President Bharrat Jagdeo but the laying of the bill in Parliament by the opposition concretized the antagonistic parliamentary relationship between the governing parliamentary minority and the opposition parliamentary majority. The opposition demonstrated its parliamentary majority power while the governing executive responded by refusing to assent to what it deemed as “opposition bills.” The passage of the legislation and the refusal to assent to the legislation effectively set the non-cooperative tone for the remainder of the 10th Parliament.
In reviewing the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill 2012, I am of the view that the legislation did not go far enough, as more benefits ought to be removed. At his first Caricom Heads of Government meeting, former President Dr Jagan cautioned that we ought not to have “a Cadillac lifestyle with a donkey cart economy.” More recently, Freddie Kissoon has referred to Guyana as a “pxxs poor country.” With a donkey cart economy in a poor country, the pension of a former president ought to be no more than what the most senior civil servant will receive.
There should be no allowances for gardeners, no allowances for chauffeurs, no allowances for maids, no allowances for foreign medical treatment, no free water, no free electricity, no paid foreign trips, etc. If a former president wants to live beyond his means, he should foot the expenses from his own income and not expect the taxpayers to fund such a lifestyle.
The new revamped legislation should go further and change the eligibility requirements for former presidents to qualify for pension and benefits. Only presidents who served two full terms or a minimum of 8 years, whichever comes first, should qualify for benefits. Redefining the eligibility criteria will ensure that the nation is not saddled with paying for various former presidents, irrespective of the length of their term in office. The state cannot simply be saddled with such expense.
Concurrent with a revamped Former Presidents Bill, the government should also bring forward legislation that will limit the salary and benefits of sitting presidents, ministers, and members of parliament. In a poor country such as Guyana, the salary of any sitting president ought not to be in the six figure range. Likewise, benefits such as gardeners, maids, chauffeurs, guards, free housing allowances, extravagant dental and medical benefits for ministers have no place in a modern democracy, and especially in a poor country such as Guyana.
Symbolically, the reduction of benefits for both sitting and former Presidents, Ministers and Members of Parliament will send a strong message to the bureaucracy and the nation in general that the days for extravagance have past and the government intends to act in a fiscally and morally responsible manner.
At first blush my suggestion to reduce the salary and benefits of the mentioned office holders may sound mean spirited. However, in most advanced democracies, ministers do not get free housing, guards, chauffeurs, gardeners and maids. While we inherited these benefits from our former colonial masters, we simply cannot afford to carry on this extravagant tradition, especially when our national coffers seem to be in overdraft.
Yours faithfully,
Oudit Rai
