Dear Editor,
With regard to the ongoing debate on former President Jagdeo’s pension, an article in the New York Post (May 9) may help to shed some light on entitlements of and expenses incurred by the US government on former American presidents for the year 2010. The Post reports that the US government spent US$1.3M on GW Bush, $1M on Clinton, $844K on GHW Bush and $517K on Carter for 2010.
These are expenses only for travel and office related costs. They do not include costs for security or their actual pension which is about US$200K a year per former president. A Congressman is considering introducing legislation to eliminate expenses for former presidents who earn an excess of $400K annually, which is the salary of the current president.
For 2010, GW Bush earned US$15M in speaking fees while Clinton took in US$10M. Clinton has been pulling in between US$10M and US$20M a year ever since he retired. There are many who feel the taxpayers should not be called upon to pay the office expenses of ex-presidents who earn millions a year and whose office is often used to make arrangements for the speaking engagements which draw in millions of dollars.
Guyanese critics of the former presidents benefits act should take into consideration the above numbers, especially if the AFC and APNU plan to introduce legislation to cut those benefits.
President Jagdeo and other former office holders are entitled to a livable pension determined by affordability and service, as is the case in the US and other countries. The US can afford US$1M for office expenses, but we can’t in Guyana. Former presidents and former legally elected prime ministers should be entitled to office expenses, as is the case in the US, but determined by whether the ex-president can afford an office through other sources of income as is being proposed by a Congressman regarding former US presidents. If a former Guyana president can earn more than his or her pension, then he or she should forfeit office expenses. But a pension is earned, is an entitlement and comes from one’s service to the state.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
