The only statement made by Government Chief Whip, Dr Roodlal Moonilal, during the debate on the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) Bill with which no one can argue is that “we need to attract a higher calibre of citizen” to the political arena. Clearly the present citizens who serve at this level do not qualify.
It appears to ordinary citizens who have been caught off guard by the obscenity which passed for parliamentary debate in that exercise that the present crop of Parliamentarians have no understanding whatever of the concept of “Serve the people, serve the people, serve the people!” This includes members of the Opposition as well as those in government who claim to stand on integrity and are always first to pontificate on what is proper behaviour.
These “outstanding citizens” see nothing wrong with ignoring the legally established body set up for this specific purpose and proceeding to set pension provisions which do not exist anywhere else in the world and which cannot be justified under any conditions. One can only hope that the President will exercise his good judgement (he is a former judge of whom the nation was proud) and not give his assent to this outrage on the nation’s sensibilities
Should His Excellency be unable to exert his influence to prevent this immorality from taking place, one would have no choice but to conclude that the trade union movement is right and that the country needs a change of the political structure.
Karan Mahabirsingh,
Carapichaima