Dear Editor,
Recently, I have become aware that whenever and whatever oil money arrives, Senior Citizens will not benefit much from this new largesse, because Guyanese life expectancy is about 71.6 years for women and 65.4 for men. It should also be noted that only approximately 5.4 % of our population is over 65 years.
Now, this is patently unfair to the elderly. They are the ones who remained behind to weather the storms. They gave their youth to this country, and did not “cut and run”. They stayed behind to hold our country together, to experience the painful hard times, to ensure stability, to keep the productive machinery functioning – whether as managers, field workers, civil servants, scientists, teachers, private sector employees, and all the other areas of service.
I am suggesting that ways and methods be found to ensure that some tangible benefits reach our Senior Citizens. Such direct financial support could be in the form of an increase of their pension from $20,500.00 per month to whatever the Minimum Wage per person is at the relevant time. VAT could be removed from every purchaser provable (by ID Card) to be over 65. That most iniquitous Property Tax could be expunged from the law as it relates to the elderly homeowners. Payments for crossing rivers via bridges and Airport Exit Taxes and Airport Security Service Charges (built into airline tickets) could also be removed for Senior Citizens.
For the foreseeable future, it will be only 5% of the population which has served this country well and, in some cases, beyond the call of duty, who will be receiving such benefits.
I call on caring leaders /political parties/governments to advocate and implement serious actions to improve the standard of living of our seniors, whose current lives may not be receiving the great attention it deserves. Place your commitment, in this regard, in your respective Manifestos. If that is already too late, then state your intentions publicly from your pre-elections platforms.
One can define the level of civilization in a State by the way it treats its elderly.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
