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At this Friday’s House Meeting, Prime Minister Barrow will
attempt to sneak in an amendment to the Pensions Act that will greatly benefit
his advisor, the failed politician, Manuel Esquivel. Hidden among the
controversial pieces of legislation that will constrict civil liberty and
freedom through the use of arbitrary detention and phone tapping, the UDP is
also authorizing the ‘double-dip’ to appease the already-retired Esquivel.
Under the current Pensions Act, if a person to whom a
pension has been granted (i.e. a civil servant or public official who has
qualified for a pension) is reappointed or signs a contract to work in the
public service, then the pension is suspended for the length of the
service. In other words, a person can’t
be working in the public service collecting a salary, and receiving his
retirement pension. This is what is
referred to as the ‘double-dip’. When
the service is over, the pension resumes.
However, two months into its administration, the UDP is
amending the law in order to benefit someone like Manuel Esquivel by hiring him
out of retirement and allowing the ‘double-dip’. So now, the Vatman, who was responsible for
the most punishing tax regime in the history of Belize between 1993 and 1998,
will now be able to collect two pay cheques, one for his contractual salary as
financial advisor with ministerial rank and one for the pension. In addition, he benefits from low-cost fuel
and a driver paid from the public’s purse.
While so many Belizeans have lost their jobs and thus their
one pay cheque, because of UDP victimization, certain UDP royal bourgeoisie
like Esquivel will be collecting two cheques.
The ‘Esquivel’ Amendment to the Pensions Act is yet another slap in the
face of hard-working Belizeans who are seeing a spiraling rise in the cost of
living and a curtailing of the banks’ lending ability.
Barrow admitted two weeks ago that he is clueless as to some
kind of alleviation to the rising cost of living, lamenting “The price of food
has gone up. The price of fuel has gone
up. Lord, what are people to do?” Well
it seems he has figured out how to help one person, his friend and mentor,
Manny; he is giving him two pay cheques.
What about the rest of us?
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