Pension for past Central Bank Governor: Unfair request at a time like this

At a time of grievous financial crisis in the country, I was highly astonished and perturbed to hear that the State Minister of

Finance Ajith Nivard

Cabraal has recommended that as a former Governor of the

Central Bank (CB) he be granted a pension with arrears.

This comes amidst huge protests from the retired pensioners of

2016 -2019 to pay their increased and approved payment of pension, arbitrarily stopped by the

Government from

January 2020. In addition for the last 55 days, teachers are also in a tug of war with the Government to rectify their salary anomalies, halting all their online classes for the schoolchildren who languish in homes due to the COVID pandemic.

People are suffering immensely due to the current hardships of the COVID pandemic, unable to have even one full meal per day. The cost of the essential food stuffs increases rapidly and with a scarcity of many important items like milk powder, sugar and gas, the ordinary man has a heavy burden.

At this crucial juncture, I would like to ask the Government and the State Minister of Finance if it is justifiable and fair to ask for a pension for a past Governor who would have been well renumerated during his tenure of service at the Central Bank? Z.A.M. Shukoor

Aranayaka