Elderly on the ropes

THE EDITOR: I wish to commend the employees of the Ministry of Social Services in the MTS Building, Aranguez for the patience they take with the elderly, who in my respectful view are treated like gobar in this country. I am happy to state that they join the women at the NIB offices, Pension Department, Treasury Street, Port of Spain and TSTT operators who make customer service into a fine art.

The elderly, often called “old stagers”, are being murdered by taxes, high prices and bandits. These builders of the nation are sometimes insulted at private and public businesses and treated badly. Many “old people” are under siege with no end in sight. Some are falling below the poverty line like a skydiver without a parachute as the inflation bites.

Many are in life’s departure lounge, after having worked hard in this country. At times, it seems as if they are only useful for the voting process.

The high price of everything is eating into their fixed income or pension, as the fight for survival gets intensely grim. Faced with the rising cost of transportation (several hire drivers), food and medicine the elderly is now on the ropes. What about those in rent situations, or with many mouths to feed? Now comes the disturbing news that National Insurance Scheme (NIS) is in financial trouble, and there is a proposal to freeze their pension, in my respectful view, given the galloping way prices are rising, the NIS pension has not kept pace. I ask the question: Why do NIS pensioners have to pay the cake for bad investment decision by previous boards? I await an answer.

KEITH ANDERSON via email