Pension for Senators would be self serving

Contributing to the debate on the motion, moved by Independent Senator Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir, to amend the Legislative Retirement Allowances Act to allow for senators to contribute to a Members of Parliament pension fund, Rambharat also said on Monday that the motion was premature, and the country’s current economic situation could not allow it.

In a motion such as this coming from the Senate, he said, “there is always a risk of this house being self-serving.” On the motion being premature, he said, when legislation to deal with benefits for Members of Parliament and retiring judges it was passed in Lower House and sent to a Joint Select Committee (JSC).

The JSC recommended to the Parliament that the appropriate expertise on the issues belonged to the SRC. A matter of this nature, whether fair or unfair, Rambharat said, should not be the focus of a motion.

Disagreeing with the motion, he said, medical benefits and pensions should be separated from other forms of compensation such as salaries which the SRC deals with.

In addition, he noted that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made it clear that this was not the appropriate time in looking at compensation for MPs given the state of the economy.

He said that the Prime Minister is on record as having asked Government MPs and senators to contribute a five percent from their compensation to a social cause of their choice.

He said that they have been doing so and for that reason he will also not support the motion. He disagreed that senators not being allowed to contribute to the pension fund was discriminatory.

Local laws, he said, were replete with examples that allowed some forms of discrimination where jobs were concerned.