Political Wickedness & Greed! NDP To Repeal Portion Of Retirement Package For Legislators

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Myron Walwyn

(PLTM) - Diverting resources that could have been allocated to alleviate some of the pressing matters to the retirement package for legislators is one that should offend the national conscience of every single person in the country.

This is the view expressed by Myron Walwyn, the National Democratic Party (NDP) Sixth District candidate as he spoke to the retirement package law passed by the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration.

“Incoming Premier [Marlon] Penn, Act #15 of 2021 entitled ‘Retiring Allowances Legislative Services Amendment Act’ needs to be partially repealed upon a new NDP Government," Walwyn stated at the party's campaign launch on Saturday, March 18.

Stating that he has no problems with the first part of the Act which provides for the pension of a legislator to be calculated under a full annual package, the former Minister of Education stated that the second part of the Act is the height of political wickedness and greed.

“If a legislator has served three terms in the House of Assembly, they will receive a gratuity in the amount of about $250,00 to $300,000 immediately upon retirement if they are 50 years or older,” Walwyn stated.

He said in addition to this, a three-term legislator will receive his or her current salary every single month for the next three years just as if they were working.

“After those three years of receiving a salary for doing absolutely nothing he or she will receive half of their current salary for the rest of their life. So, a three-term legislator would receive in excess of 600,000 in cash by the end of three years after retiring and half of his or her monthly salary until death,” Walwyn pointed out.

He added, “This was done by the current government in the middle of the pandemic in 2021.”

According to Walwyn, the people of the country for a minimum of two years will be paying the salaries for two governments at the same time – one that is working and one that is not working.

“How could a government do this to the people many of whom in their own district struggle every single day to make a living for themselves and their children?” Walwyn questioned.

He noted that civil servants have to work for 33 1/3 years to collect ‘a meagre pension’ that has no consideration for the continuous rise of the cost of living.

“…But somebody who happen to win a popularity contest for couple of years could go home with a pocket full of money, that cannot be right. To sit down and pass legislation to benefit yourself is deceitful and immoral while we have so many social ills left unattended in this country,” Walwyn stated.

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