Govt rakes up PPPC’s old age pension track record

Last Updated on Tuesday, 5 December 2017, 12:48 by Denis Chabrol

The Guyana government on Tuesday lashed back at criticisms of its GY$500 monthly old age pension increase by the opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic, saying that the books show that it had provided less than GY$100 per month for several years.

Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes told the House during debate on the 2018 National Budget that the records lay bare that the then PPPC government had hiked the old age pension by GY$92 in 2003; GY$90 in 2004; and GY$95 in 2005. She noted it was only after the then opposition coalition had mounted a stiff lobby that the then PPPC government had increased the pension to GY$1,495.

Hughes noted that by 2010, the pension increase went back down to GY$300.

The opposition has been slamming the GY$500 pension increase for 2018, saying it could barely buy a half Chinese food, but the Public Telecommunications Minister said that “in just two and a half years, this government has increased pensions [by] 49 percent”.