Trade Unionist Lincoln Lewis believes that former Presidents Donald Ramotar and Bharrat Jagdeo have colluded to “rape the national coffers” by moving to the High Court over the non-payment of money and other benefits they would have been entitled to prior to the capping of the benefits of Former Presidents. In a letter to the Editor on Wednesday, Lewis said the duo is attempting to live “luxurious lives on the backs of tax payers”. He said too that the actions of the two former Presidents have confirmed the view that “politicians don’t care a damn about the people”.

Lewis added that the capped benefits under the Former Presidents (Benefits and other Facilities) Act (No. 3 of 2015) still ensure that former Presidents receive $75,000 monthly for telephone and electricity bills which is “in excess of the pension earned by persons who have served this country for more than 35 years in the public service, and many who are currently employed and are required to deliver eight-hour service a day.”
“IT is clear that politics has become a gravy train. The public mantra about service to the people no longer matters,” Lewis contends, noting that the both Jagdeo and Ramotar are in pursuit of “the open-ended arrangement” whereby they can “access unlimited amounts of State cars, armed Police guards at their premises, or staff to carry on political work.”
“It is not the vulgar and unconscionable $1.4 million pension these men each receive per month that the National Assembly capped,” Lewis stressed. The trade unionist said, “The act of Jagdeo taking the people to court is characteristic of the contempt he has for Guyanese, and therefore comes as no surprise; but Ramotar’s collusion is surprising, given that ‘this man was in the trade union movement, and would have condemned the PNC leadership for ‘riding on the backs of workers’ had they engaged in similar or lesser conduct.”

“It means that Ramotar would have mobilised protest actions against acts he and Jagdeo are now involved in! The act of taking the people of Guyana to court is deemed a personal attack against workers and the taxpaying public, given that our economy can ill-afford extravagance, and both men are aware of this,’ Lewis added.
DOUBLE-STANDARDS
This, he said is a clear case of “double-standards” and it demonstrates that “politics is not about the people and their development” but about using “political office to cream off the resources and wealth of the nation for personal enrichment”.
Lewis views the move by the duo as a clear case of collusion to “rape the national coffers”. “During and after his presidency, Ramotar has said to this society that he is his own man, not operating in the shadow of Jagdeo, or on instructions from Jagdeo. The collusion of these men to rape the national coffers means that Ramotar is either not his own man or both men are self-serving.”
He believes that the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) followers should be concerned by this moving as Ramotar and Jagdeo are clearly showing that “they would go to the end of the earth to enrich themselves on the backs of the people, and it matters not to them whether the people can afford to sustain their greed”.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Education and Health under the PPP, Dr Henry Jeffrey said he believes it is in the right of the former Presidents to seek recourse if they are not comfortable. “Whether it is a great political move, I am not certain,” he said.
“Certainly, no one should be given open benefits,” he told Guyana Chronicle on Monday. Accordingly, he said the Constitution of Guyana speaks to the benefits that are due to Presidents and former Presidents. “It is simple law and justice,” he said noting that “I don’t think they should be given open benefits.”
MAN IN THE STREET
The common man in the street believes that the move by the former Presidents is an indication of the lack of respect they have for citizens. Esan Anderson, a currency exchanger said “While in power the past government made choices to suit their sitting, now the Mr Granger has put appropriate measures in place to stop the misappropriation.” He strongly believes that the move to the High Court for the benefits is “senseless and is just a waste of tax payers’ money”.

Unella Gibbon, a housewife said it is greed that has caused the two former Presidents to petition the court. “They too greedy, I ain’t think they deserve any money. Furthermore, its taxpayers’ money, I want they lobby to raise pension money. I don’t know why they went to the High Court it get poor people suffering and don’t even get a tip of what they getting.”
Similarly, Harold Sampson and David Wilson believe that petitioning the High Court is a bid to deprive the State and by extension citizens of finances that could be better used.
“I stand with the government; they cut them money why they running High Court for? It’s Guyana money!” said Sampson. Wilson stated that the money Ramotar and Jagdeo are claiming for does not belong to them. “It is the Guyanese people money; we taxpayers’ money. The High Court move makes no sense.”
Both Ramotar and Jagdeo are contending that their earnings accrued before the passage of the 2015 legislation and so they are entitled to continue to be able to receive the earnings. They claim that the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other facilities) Act 2015 will be used to deny them benefits that have been conferred upon them under the 2009 Act and an attempt to do so is unlawful, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.

By Ariana Gordon