Rowley produces 'proof' of $3,000 pension promise
By Renuka Singh
Did we say that or aallyuh hear the wrong thing.
(Story Updated: Aug 27, 2010 at 12:55 AM ECT )
"Lying is unacceptable," Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday, as he produced several hard-copy excerpts of the People's Partnership manifesto and reprints of full page advertisements as proof that there was no "misprint" in its campaign promise on pensions.
Rowley said he was giving the new coalition space to settle in, but had now taken exception to their "shameful" behaviour.
He made the statement at the Opposition Leader's office in Port of Spain yesterday, flanked by Dr Amery Browne, PNM MP for Diego Martin East, and NiLueng Hypolite, MP for Laventille West.
Rowley said the People's Partnership was not only "disrespectful", but was taking the population for a "pack of fools".
"What shocked us in the PNM, was that the Prime Minister is at the forefront saying 'we never promised that'," he said.
Rowley said the party's manifesto said "life begins at 60" and then went on to talk about increasing the old age pension to $3,000. He said on Sunday, the Prime Minister's press secretary, Garvin Nicholas, posted a comment on the PNM's Facebook page referring to retirement age as a "misprint". Nicholas, in the same post, said "the nation's coffers cannot at this time support a pensionable age of 60 mainly because of the squandering of the hundreds of billions over the last eight years".
He said the People's Partnership would have been aware of the country's financial situation before it took office, but went ahead and contracted themselves to that promise of a pension increase.
"But that's not the position they take, they have taken the position to disown the manifesto position," he said.
Rowley produced copies of the PNM's Facebook page, where Nicholas's comments were highlighted.
"Approximately 50,000 people in this country had a choice to make when casting their vote, if they voted for this provision, it would have meant to them a payment of $3,000 a month, $36,000 a year for a five-year period," he said.
Rowley said his office has since been "bombarded" with calls from people claiming to be tricked by the coalition.