On the fourth day of the 2024 National Budget Debates, Opposition Member of Parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis opened the floor by stating her disapproval of the allocations of the $1.146 trillion budget.
She revealed that the budget is an illusion, and does not provide real solutions to pressing issues. In her presentation, she outlined her reasons as to why the current Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Vindhya Persaud, should step down from her post.
Following Singh-Lewis, in her presentation, the Minister of Human Services and Social Security not only defended her placement at the Ministry but highlighted the many initiatives implemented under her charge.
“I had a dilemma. My dilemma was very different but similar, I wanted to compare what we are doing with what you did, but a lot of the programmes never even existed so I had nothing to compare it to,
The Opposition MP also lamented the treatment of pensioners by the Government, asking for provisions to be put in place to make things easier for the older citizens.
In addition to having to wait in long lines for their pension, Singh-Lewis stated that many pensioners were not even able to receive the one-off cash grants issued by the Government.
Minister of Human Services Vindhya Persaud disputed these remarks and reminded the House of the many provisions made for pensioners by the Government.
“The pensioners over the tenure of the PPP/C would have benefitted from a 75% increase on their pension and that is much more than what was given in the five years’ tenure of my colleagues on the other side.”
She rebutted that pensioners benefit from both an increase in pension and a more convenient method of receiving their monies. The Minister spoke of pensions being deposited in the bank and received through MMG.
She urged the Government to make interventions at the Palms Geriatric Home, as the residents and staff there are under duress due to mismanagement.
According to her statements, the Palms receives consistent complaints about the conditions the residents are facing.
“The budget has tripled, but the state of affairs at the Palms has deteriorated,” stated Singh-Lewis.
The Shadow Minister of Human Services and Social Security says the mismanagement is beyond what the staff and residents can tolerate, and our senior citizens deserve better. In addition to this, the deteriorating facilities make it hard to bear the harsh circumstances.
Lewis Singh says the “public assistance program is a total mess, a catastrophe across the country.”
In response to these claims, Minister Vindhya Persaud stated that the Government has already planned to build a new home in Enmore, which will cater to all the current residents of the Palms.
“This Government has allotted $172 million for a spanking new senior citizens home because we are concerned about our senior citizens across this country…”