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by pltm
(PLTM) - Former legislator Myron Walwyn was the first to benefit from the retirement package bill for law makers where he was paid some $276,000. In fact, Premier and Finance Minister Hon. Dr. Natalio 'Sowande' Wheatley is claiming that Walwyn was 'ringing down his phone' to find out if it had reached Cabinet.
"The first former Member that Cabinet made a decision on when it came to collecting their retirement allowance was Mr. Myron Walwyn and trust me he was ringing down my phone ‘it gone Cabinet yet?’. Mr Myron Walwyn took home $276,274.50," Wheatley said last evening March 23.
He was responding to criticisms made by Walwyn earlier this week where he called aspects of the 2021 Retiring Allowances Legislative Services Amendment Act political wickedness. The Bill was tabled and piloted to passage by former Premier and Minister of Finance, Andrew Fahie who is currently on bail in Miami, United States awaiting trial on drug trafficking and money-laundering charges.
"That’s why he could tell you how much because in one lump sum he took that home and on top of that $276,274.50, every month he is paid $5,525.50. and he will be paid that for the rest of his life. So, he didn’t know that when he was talking about all the struggling people not making any money," the Premier Wheatley said.
The Seventh District Representative said Walwyn should not have raised the issue.
"If you live in a glass house, don’t throw stone. So if I were Mr. Myron Walwyn I would have leave that alone… nobody who is on the stage right now, except for Hon. [Alvera] Maduro-Caines, who did not vote for it, only her qualify for any kind of pension," he said.
Adding, "…the people who stand to benefit from that-Mark Vanterpool, Marlon Penn, Mitch Turnbull, Julian Fraser, and former Premier Andrew Fahie. Not anybody up here [VIP candidates]."
He also took a jab at the National Democratic Party's (NDP) leader Hon. Marlon Penn.
"I want Myron Walwyn to tell me now and tell the people of the Virgin Islands that Hon. Marlon Penn is politically wicked. While my good friend, my good colleague told... that he was voted down, you think dem man easy, dem man produce the minutes. What does happen when the Speaker do the roll call, Marlon Penn 'I'," Premier Wheatley said.
He further claimed: "Only time Hon. Penn run to the public to talk about repealing it is when he realised repealing it will not affect his package. He made sure he had legal advice on it…and that was after he heard me saying I am going to repeal it. He ran to the radio."
NDP’s Sixth District Candidate, Walwyn was not part of the House of Assembly that passed the Bill, but he has labelled its passage as the height of political wickedness and greed during a pandemic.
Walwyn indicated that a three-term legislator will receive a gratuity in the amount of about $250,000 to $300,000 immediately upon retirement if they are 50 years or older.
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.
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.
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Long Post Alert ????????????????????????????????????????????????
SUMMARY OF PERTINENT PROVISIONS OF THE RETIRING ALLOWANCES (LEGISLATIVE SERVICE ACT) - No. 15 of 2021 (the “ Greedy Act”)
Why, in my opinion, the Greeedy Act needs to be revisited as a matter of national priority!
The Greedy Act has issues. General and most obvious observations about its shortcomings:
1. In essence, the last House of Assembly gave themselves a raise through the back door that they were unable to achieve through the front door.
2. The approximately 40,000 in salary and $60,000 in allowances were combined as 100,000 in salaries.
3. This was done by amending the definition of “maximum salary” in the Act, which excluded allowances, to include allowances as part of the maximum salary. This then caused the retirement amount to increase. The calculation is now on around $100,000 and not $40,000 as before with prior legislators.
4. Then in addition to this increase in salary, they added additional salaries (by amending section 3 of the Act) to those amounts commensurate with length of time in service. These additional salaries are:
* One full parliamentary term - 2 years salary
* Two full consecutive parliamentary terms - 2 years’ salary
* Three or four full consecutive parliamentary terms - 3 years’ salary
* Five or more full consecutive parliamentary terms - 4 years’ salary.
5. The result seems to be outrageous payment amounts, with a minimum of 300,000 and up to $600,000 in some cases, as I understand it.
6. There is no age requirement for these salaries. They are collected at any time once out of office.
7. At age 65, legislator can collect all salary as a lump sum.
8. Please also understand that Legislators include:
*All persons elected to the House of Assembly
*The Speaker of the House
*The Deputy Speaker of the House
*All Ministers
*Leader of the Opposition
*Junior Ministers
All of the above will benefit from the Greedy Act.
9. These additional salary provisions in section 3 of the Act are only applicable to legislators serving in the Fourth House of Assembly from 12th March 2019 and subsequent Houses of Assembly.
10. Legislators who received gratuity under the provisions visions of Cap 139 (the initial Act) are not entitled to additional gratuity payment.
11. We also need to understand if allowances and emoluments include that moratorium which legislators receive for acting as ministers, Premier and Deputy Premier. It seems to me that a moratorium is an emolument.
12. If I am correct, then with the way we have been giving everyone a chance to be Deputy Premier and Premier, the maximum salary of all legislators will be calculated at the Deputy Premier’s or Premier’s salary (a higher salary than their own), for the purposes of the retirement allowances.
13. This was either not thought through properly or thought through very well. If the latter, I am disappointedly impressed!
14. The politicians make no contribution to this scheme. In Barbados for example, they must contribute 5% of their salary to the pension scheme.
15. There are no disqualifying provisions for bad actors. So good, bad or criminal, the benefits do not lapse by any provisions in the Act. Other countries (Barbados again), have disqualifying provisions.
16. After receiving the pension payments upon ceasing to be a legislator (which can be as low as $300,000 and as much as $600,000 and with a monthly stipend of $5500 or more), if that legislator returns to office, only the monthly payment is suspended. The lump sum is the legislators for keeps.
17. This means that a legislator is paid while in office, then paid while out of office for the four years and then can run again in four years and win to be paid more! With the way party politics operate in the BVI, where we change political parties every four years, almost, definitely every eight years, it’s almost certain that the politicians have already figured this out.
18. If you are paid whether you are in office or out of office (and more handsomely now it seems when you are out of office), then what’s the real incentive to work for the people while in office, when we still pay you while you are out of office and awaiting your chance to return in the next four years?
19. We need to investigate how other jurisdictions approach remuneration packages (compensation and retirement) for legislators and enact a piece of legislation that makes sense and is fair and equitable to the legislators and the tax payers footing the bill.
20. We also need a women’s conference on the Greedy Act! I will come back to that separately shortly.
Flinging Stones .
Lock Stock & Barrel
None Dare Quarrel..
FAHIE in de Slammer
Wakwyns Cup Runnerh Over
There are government employees who have been working for over 20 years with 2 degrees and still don't make $5,000 per month.
Retired legislators should receive payments yes, but not so much.
We have really gone to the dogs.
