Dear Editor,
It was yet another sad state of affairs for the remaining old age pensioners who had to go on the second given date at the Amerindian hostel in Suddie to collect their pension books for next year.
The only improvement for that day was that a female official from the Anna Regina branch of the Ministry of Social Protection arrived at 9.10 am – one hour earlier than on the first occasion.
Other than that it made no difference to the dismal conditions they had to endure by having to stand or sit for hours outside the hostel compound as the gate and door remained locked.
On my own observation from as early as 7 am exactly 25 of them were already there waiting and within an hour’s time the number had increased to no less than 80.
Out of sympathy for their suffering a request was made by me at 8 am for the gate and door to be opened so that they could get inside to be provided with seating accommodation. But from the response given, it was not possible to do so then because the floor was being mopped out. With proper administrative arrangements this could have been done earlier.
Some measure of relief was brought to them at 8.30 am when they were allowed to go inside.
In the midst of the distribution, some more chairs had to be sent for as there were many of them having to stand inside since there was not enough seating accommodation.
My personal opinion is that the cramped section of the bottom flat of the hostel is not ideally suited for this purpose, and it would be much better to use the multi-million dollar building which was designed to be used as a day care centre now standing as a white elephant by the Maria’s Lodge old road.
Yours faithfully,
Baliram Persaud
