Hamilton Green shoots down criticism of him receiving a pension as “fermenting of strife”

The Bill provides for Green to be paid a pension “based on the salary paid to the Prime Minister, as though he actually earned the said salary, taking into consideration his record of service as a legislator.”

Hamilton Green shoots down criticism of him receiving a pension as “fermenting of strife”

Hours before the Government is set to move to the National Assembly with a Bill guaranteeing a pension for former Prime Minister, Hamilton Green, Mr. Green called a press conference at his Georgetown home to make it clear that there was nothing unique with the former Prime Minister receiving a pension.

He said all civilized societies have systems in place that take care of former Presidents and Prime Ministers after they would have left office.

The Bill provides for Green to be paid a pension “based on the salary paid to the Prime Minister, as though he actually earned the said salary, taking into consideration his record of service as a legislator.”

Additionally, it provides for the former Prime Minister to receive all benefits provided for by the Former President (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act 2015.

The value of these benefits are an annual pension of G$20,580,000, others benefits to the value of G$3.1 million annually, two vehicles provided and maintained by the State and two first-class annual airfares and free transportation provided by the State.

The Guyana Human Rights Association and the local Transparency Group have both criticized the move, with the GHRA saying Green should not be entitled to a pension because of the troubles Guyana faced while he was Prime Minister and the Transparency Group referring to the move as cronyism.

Green shot back today and said the two groups may only be “fermenting strife”.

“These gentlemen or ladies or whoever they are, actually are versed in fermenting strife, distorting history and not dealing with the relevant issues”, he said.

The former Prime Minister who served under the President Desmond Hoyte administration from 1985 to 1992, explained that although it is covered in law for the President and Prime Minister to receive some benefits after leaving office, when the PPP took the matter to Parliament in 2011 for updating, the then government only catered for former Presidents and not former Prime Ministers.

The only living former Prime Minister other than Hamilton Green is Samuel Hinds, but Hinds also served as President of Guyana and therefore would have been covered by the Presidential pension, leaving Green out as the only former Prime Minister who would have been receiving no pension.

Mr. Green said he does not know the reason for the PPP’s decision.

He also told the media today that he agrees with current Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo that the Bill being taken to Parliament today should not carry Green’s name but rather should cater for all former Prime Ministers of Guyana. He said he is sure that the Prime Minister, as a member of the cabinet, could have those concerns addressed.

Mr. Green, wh0 also served as Mayor of Georgetown for close to two decades, said he is deserving of the pension and benefits package befitting a former Prime Minister because he served. He said he served well at a time when Guyana and the rest of the world were facing changing circumstances.

He noted that over the years since leaving office as Prime Minister, he has had to depend on his wife and children for maintenance and he does not believe that should be the case as a former Prime Minister of Guyana.

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