The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is accusing the People’s Progressive Party/Civic of failing to ensure that former Prime Minister Hamilton Green was in receipt of a pension package commensurate with the post he served from 1985 to 1992.
PNC General Secretary, Oscar Clarke
PNCR General Secretary Oscar Clarke made the disclosure on Tuesday when he fielded questions about the mounting public outcry over the proposed $20 million annual pension package for Green.
Clarke told media operatives the PNC had made all arrangements for Green to be given his pension.
Responding to concerns over the sudden move by Government to table the Hamilton Green Pension Bill, Clarke claimed that before leaving office in 1992, the PNC had set out measures which were not implemented by the previous Administration. He reasoned that this was why the Bill was now being brought to the fore.
“To say that we didn’t put systems in place would not be correct…Systems were put in place, [but] the past government did not actualise those systems in relation to Prime Minister’s benefits, but systems were put in place during our time,” Clarke stressed.
Asked to provide documentation or links to where the evidence can be found to validate his claims of the supposed systems that were in place, the General Secretary quipped: “You didn’t check the law?”
Former Prime Minister Hamilton Green
These laws are on the books, Oscar further explained, adding that they were not passed in Green’s interest.
“There is a law in Parliament passed during our time, to give Presidents and Prime Minister benefits, but Mr Green was not given the benefits…[former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds] got his benefits as a result of the law that has been passed which they operationalised in his interest, but not in the interest of Prime Minister Green,” Clarke vented.
The General Secretary was also asked just how deserving was former PM Green of the proposed benefits considering the challenges the country faced during his tenure.
“Mr Green was a minister of government since 1968 and served as Prime Minister from 1985 to 1992…I think [he] is more than entitled to benefits as Prime Minister,” he replied.
The PNCR General Secretary, however, noted that he agreed with current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who has expressed that the Bill should not have included the name of the former Georgetown Mayor and PM.
It was only Monday that Green took a strong stand against criticisms that he did not deserve the annual $20 million former Prime Minister’s pension that was being awarded. Green stated that in fact nothing was out of the ordinary and the benefits were enshrined in the law. However, Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) has contended that the Hamilton Green Pension Bill was vulgar and politically partisan, reeked of cronyism and lacked basis for justification.
According to the Bill introduced by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, the pension to be paid to Green will be tabulated based on the salary of the current Prime Minister.
The proposed legislation outlined that the Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Act 2016 should come into operation on December 1, 2016.
