House passes bill to limit prime minister's pension

BY a special majority vote, the House of Representatives on June 27 passed a bill to limit the award of a pension to a prime minister to those individuals who serve at least one year in the post. Some 27 MPs on the government side backed the bill, while 11 opposition MPs present abstained.

Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo piloted the Prime Minister’s Pension (Amendment) Bill 2025. He said the bill was serving "to right a wrong," but the opposition alleged it targeted a single individual.

Earlier, former prime minister Stuart Young in a Facebook post vowed to skip debate on the bill, on principle.

He said, "This bill specifically targets me as former Prime Minister. The bill’s retroactive application to March 10, 2025 is constitutionally illegal as it is ad hominem (a law that targets a specific individual)."

The bill says a prime minister (PM) serving at least one year gets one-third of his/her highest salary as pension. After two years service, the pension is 50 per cent of the salary.

After three years, a PM gets two-thirds of their salary, and after four years a pension equal to the full sum of their salary.

Tancoo dubbed the bill "a tiered system of meritocracy."

He said the bill had ample precedent in Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas.

Tancoo said, "This bill is not ad hominem in nature. It must be applied to every person appointed PM. It has retroactive effect."

As it is retroactive, out of caution the government had opted to pass it by a special majority, he said.

Alleging Young's appointment was likely unconstitutional, Tancoo said, "We are here today to right the wrong."

Tancoo said most offices in Trinidad and Tobago have a minimum period of service before being eligible for a pension, such as MPs (five years) and teachers and police officers (ten years).

Diego Martin North East MP Colm Imbert argued the bill was ad hominem legislation.

"There is only one person who could possibly be affected by that retroactivity."

Imbert said the term ad hominem had been explained by the Privy Council's 2016 ruling on the repeal of section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act.

Imbert said places like Jamaica, Barbados and India had PM pension provisions similar to TT's (before any repeal by the bill.)

"In Jamaica you could serve as PM for five seconds and be 20 years old and be eligible for a pension." India had no qualifying period, he said.

Citing section 34, Imbert alleged, "According to the Privy Council ruling, this (PM's Pension Bill) is the most ad hominem legislation I have seen."

Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein chided Imbert for allegedly screaming and shouting and for begging to move.

"Your days for begging to move are over, because the people have moved you out."

Hosein said while Imbert had dubbed the bill ad hominem, he had named no one.

Hosein said, "This bill is lawful, proportional and reasonably justifiable."

He said the UNC government had given a commitment to protect the public's interest.

"We are calling on the opposition to do the right thing, please.

"They don't know themselves if they are supporting the bill or not."

Hosein declared that amid the bill, no one would be deprived of an income.

He said a PM who had served as an MP and a minister would be entitled to a pension under the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) Act. Hosein said Imbert was misleading to say the PM's Pension Bill would deprive anyone of a pension.

Regarding retroactivity, Hosein said the original Prime Minister's Pension Act 1969 had been retroactive to 1962.

Hitting Imbert's reference to a Jamaican PM being entitled to a pension for spending just five seconds in office, Hosein said, "We are saying no to that. How could that be fair? They (PNM) want to offer public servants four per cent?"

He accused the opposition of cherry-picking its data.

Hosein said in the Bahamas and Barbados, a PM only gets a pension with 100 per cent of their salary upon serving eight years.

Hosein said in TT a minister's or MP's pension is given only at age 55 and is pro-rated. He said after five years service, an MP's pension is one-sixth of their salary. After ten years it is one-third, 15 years one-half, and 20 years two-thirds.

He listed the monthly salaries and pensions that various public servants get after 33 years of service.

These included messenger I (salary $5,600, pension $3,500), clerk I (salary $6,600, pension $3,500), human resource officer (salary $11,000, pension $7,800) and director of human resources (salary $18,000, pension $12,000).

Hosein asked if Imbert was saying "a five second PM" was entitled to $87,000 per month in pension. "The bill is correcting a historical wrong."

As to Young's Facebook post, Hosein said Young claimed not to have got into politics for personal gain yet had recused himself from Cabinet deliberations 137 times.

"We are protecting the public’s interest. I commend every member to vote for this bill."

Also speaking on the bill were Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles and Attorney General John Jeremie wrapping up.

Of the bill, Beckles later told reporters, "We think it is rushed, targeted and not sufficiently thought out, and they are being very divisive."

In committee stage, the opposition proposed to delete clause 2 – which states the bill is retroactive – but Speaker Jagdeo Singh rejected that, saying the House Clerk had advised motions first be circulated in print form. Imbert asked why must a motion be circulated to merely delete a clause.

At a press briefing later, Imbert said in his 30-plus years as an MP, it has been a practice to table amendments from the floor, as done by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Asked why the opposition had abstained instead of voting against the bill, he said the opposition was aware of public sentiment.