– Minister Edghill
THE old age pension that senior citizens of Guyana receive was never meant to be an income that beneficiaries could live on. Rather, the grant accords with government’s principle of awarding the sum to all citizens who attain the age of 65, without regard to political, economic, social racial and other positions of the beneficiaries.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill said the assistance given to senior citizens is inadequate for anyone to survive on, and the government is not ignorant of that reality, hence it tries each year to add to the amount.
Minister Edghill pointed out that while those persons receive the assistance from the government, many of them are recipients of other forms of income. He pointed to examples of persons who benefit from the old age pension receiving pensions from their previous places of work.
The GDF, reputable companies and contributions to various welfares and several financial schemes were listed as some of the other means of income for a number of beneficiaries of the government old age pension. Added to those, there are also the financial contributions coming from the National Insurance Scheme, the minister added.
A large percentage of persons who benefit from the old age pension are persons who would have worked in the public sector, and for whom contributions would have been paid to NIS. There are persons who receive both the old age and NIS pensions. Despite their position, all public servants, including Members of Parliament who attain the age of 65, are entitled to the government old age pension.
Year after year, the public forms a misguided and uninformed perception that the Government of Guyana gives the old aged pension assistance to senior citizens to last them through the month. Despite the confusion that this creates in some circles of uninformed persons, there are those who continue to sell the idea and notion that senior citizens are expected to survive on that sum alone.
There are often reports in sections of the media, and also at the political level, that senior citizens are unable to pay their utility and other bills with the money received as old age pension.
In Guyana, many senior citizens also reside with other family members who are otherwise employed. In cases where elderly persons are left to care for children, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has several programmes running to assist those persons, and in some cases, financial assistance is also given.