- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Aujourd'hui 04:14

Immoral to pay Young $1m pension

THE EDITOR: It is extremely disgusting and totally immoral for Stuart Young to expect the people of TT to pay him an extortionate pension which would amount to approximately $l million per annum for the rest of his life for his non-productive and scandalous service as prime minister for one or 42 days. I am sure that 99 per cent of the people of our country are disgusted that we should pay him such a pension and I thus call on the goodly gentleman to save himself from embarrassment by announcing that he has taken the decision to do the following: 1. Request the relevant authority that his photograph be removed from the Piarco International Airport as a former prime minister for a grand total of one or 42 days. Young, stop the mockery of your "good self.” 2. Announce in Parliament that his good conscience demands that he forsakes, abandons, gives up the notion that he is entitled to an annual pension of $l million for serving as prime minister for one day or stretching it to 42 days. 3. Resign as a PNM MP in the House of Representatives. My gratuitous advice to Young is that the present leadership of the PNM is of the view that he is more a liability than an asset to the opposition. Young, you are now quite aware that the government has tabled the Prime Minister’s Pension (Amendment) Bill 2025 which will effectively prevent you from collecting a single dollar as per your pension as a former prime minister for one or 42 days. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the entire House of Representatives and the entire Senate will support the bill. Heed my commentary on your so-called entitlement of $l million annual pension and your unfortunate status within the PNM opposition for no one in our Parliament will dishonour their oath of office by voting against the pension amendment bill. No one is so stupid or disingenuous not to vote in favour of the proposed bill. It would be a disgrace to even abstain from voting against this wise, prudent and sagacious legislation. Young, stop "mamaguying" yourself. And I congratulate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC for tabling the bill in Parliament. After all, she told the country on the eve of the general election the following: “If Stuart Young spends a few hours, days, weeks or months as substantive prime minister, despite never being elected by citizens, and then ceases to be the prime minister following a general election, he will still be entitled to a prime minister’s pension for life, which will cost taxpayers millions.” It is important to note that Persad-Bissessar had assured that her government would look into this matter if elected to office. And so said, so done. Persad-Bissessar is a politician who keeps her promises. ISRAEL RAJAH-KHAN SC president Criminal Bar Association The post Immoral to pay Young $1m pension appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.