Dear Editor,
My brother, Gabindranauth Latchmin, passed away in August of 2021. I took care of the funeral expenses of which I have the necessary receipts. He worked for almost 20 years and made his contributions to NIS. As required, I took those receipts in a timely manner to the NIS office in Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast. In fact, I visited the office on several occasions to enquire about my claim. On each occasion, I was told that the process was not completed and that I will have to keep checking. It has been nearly two years now and to no avail.
However, quite surprisingly when I visited the office recently, I was shocked to be told that the time has expired and that my claim has been cancelled. I incurred in excess of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars for my brother’s funeral expenses, and as a lone bread-winner, I felt aggrieved that I was denied my basic right as a citizen of this country.
The NIS office at no time informed me that this was happening even though they have all my contact information. This is an injustice and I am appealing to the Minister of Finance, who has responsibility for this entity, to intervene and give me some hope that justice is alive. It is very difficult for me to survive in such challenging circumstances much less to be robbed by an entity that is supposed to serve and protect our interest.
This matter must be investigated so that my claim can be honoured and I be compensated for what is rightfully due to me.
Yours sincerely
Oomawattie Persaud