Dear Editor,
I will like to add some anecdotes to Prof Baytoram Ramharack’s “Balram Singh Rai remains the only Guyanese minister who was denied a parliamentary pension” (Feb 6). A grave injustice was committed against the former home affairs minister who was denied due process and natural justice when he was denied a pension. His politics, opposition to or falling out with Jagan, should not be a determinant of the right to a pension. Sir Fenton Ramsahoye spent a few nights at my home around 1991 in greater Richmond Hill – we discussed Balram Singh Rai’s pension, among other issues, off course. Sir Fenton told me that when he was in parliament in early 1970s, he broached the matter with Forbes Burnham who responded “If Jagan raises it in parliament, we will support”. Of course, Jagan would have none of it. I spoke with Balram Singh Rai a few times, including in visits to London, we were to meet to discuss that and several other issues but rain prevented me from journeying to his home in the Ealing area from Catford, where I was putting up.
Balram was a very private person; he did not entertain visitors and did not like to discuss Guyana’s politics, but he was familiar with the activism and writings of Ramharack, myself and still had Guyana in his heart. Ramharack met with him in London for a biography, both he and wife, Auntie Shani, were very pleasant on the phone with me. Regrettably we did not meet, and, we lost communication as he moved to another location with family members in subsequent trips to London. Rai was aware of efforts of several individuals including Dr. Ramharack, Pandit Ram Tiwari (of Toronto), and myself, among others, who tried to correct the injustice relating to his pension. He lauded our work. He was not interested in the money, a paltry amount, but his legacy and a recognition of his role in Guyana’s independence movement and national development. A special bill needed to be passed to grant him a pension because he was probably short on the number of years served in parliament; it was not clear that a prescribed period of service was needed for a pension, and special bills were passed giving other former MPs a pension for time served, and even to increase the amount of pension to be received.
After the implementation of the 1980 Burnham constitution, anyone who served in parliament was entitled to a pension, regardless of time served, birthing “young pensioners” in their 30s if not younger. Why could not Rai also be given a pension? There was legislation to grant Hamilton Green a special PM pension in excess of $1M a month but Rai’s name was excluded in special pension legislations. No action was taken on Rai’s in spite of several implorations from myself and others. When Jagan became president, he did not correct the injustice although I mentioned it to him, Fenton said he brought it up with Jagan who was not too pleased. I also raised this matter with then minister Moses Nagamootoo, a confidante of Jagan, who presumably opted not to raise it with Jagan in spite of a commitment to so do. When the AFC birthed, it was raised with both Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trottman. They gave a commitment to raise it in parliament from the opposition bench but did not. I believed it was ROAR’s MP Ravi Dev who raised it in parliament in 2003, but not supported by the government MPs. Speaker Ralph Ramkarran was supportive of a pension for Rai, and queried about it. I raised the issue with Donald Ramotar, just before he was elected, with a promise to look into it. I raised it again mere days after he was sworn in, as president, his response was: “Balram Singh Rai don’t need the money”. A pension for Rai was never about money, the amount could hardly have bought enough flour to make four roti; it was a matter of principle. A pension is a right in service to government an every government grants a pension to government workers or legislators with the amount depending on time served.
In Guyana, it is a statutory determination, a constitutional requirement. Wealth and well-being have no bearing on the recognition of an MP’s service. Ramotar was removed from office in 2015, and the injustice was never corrected. Moses became prime minister, and Ramjattan and Trottman became ministers. None of them sought to correct an injustice meted out to a decent man as a recognition of his service to the nation. Eusi Kwayana spoke glowingly of Rai’s contribution to Guyana and of his heroics as home affairs minister during the race riots, and also when he was education minister.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
