@David

Trained Economist is confirming the costs beyond the mailing of cheques that applies to processing and delivering them to pensioners. It should be the goal to get the payments into the hands of the beneficiaries as quickly and efficiently as possible and direct deposit should be the target. I will repeat we should all be interested in efficient delivery of Gov’t services.

If the Board and the management of NIS can’t seem to get a coherent message out it points to the ham handed effort at public relations which more often than not appears to be the norm for some Gov;t agencies.

Is it your suggestion that Gov’t request that Banks establish a “No chargeable Pension Account”? Why should Gov’t have to do this? Shouldn’t BARP be in the forefront of lobbying for Senior Citizens? Two of the three Canadian Banks operating in Barbados have senior accounts where service charges are waived in Canada, I would hope they have the same in Barbados and if they do not it should be BARP’s position to fight for its members and by extension “Senior Citizens”.

I would also hope that BNB given its origins from the Barbados Savings Bank would have accounts that would be cognizant of the needs of the Senior citizens of Barbados.

Bim remains the same, burdened by a government it cannot afford at this time, blundering from one fiasco to another. Some DEMS will continue argue and seek to persuade us despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary that Barbados is blessed by this DLP government. Couldn’t want or get better. Every action of the DLP points to a party winning an election with no plan for governance. It still fails three/four years later to have an overall direction to govern how and what is put in place. Not even the slogan ‘ Barbados is more than an economy it is a society’ truly governs what they do and how, especially in relation to the elderly and the middle class. Evidence of this is the drug reform fiasco for which no courage or humility has been found to correct the injustice. And secondly the pension cheque saga which is mind boggling because so called intelligent ‘caring’ people from the Chairman to the board to the Executive Director to the Minister and Cabinet seem to have their societal caring emotions switch in the off position, when approving this policy. This should be phased over time, where you target a specific age that would have transitioned to technology. For example the current 55 year old group who have bank accounts and can be put on notice that when they come to get pensions it will be done electronically using bank accounts. The older less tech-savvy groups will continue by option until they leave the system. But again it was more about the money than the society. Government by this DLP administration is really more of the same, working it as they go along and doing it rather poorly in a period of crisis that badly needs competence.

@caswell

I have interpreted what trained economist said, that the director might have miscontrued what they have said and hence he issued the letter. The board minutes of that meeting should be evidence, dont you think. I will give trained economist the benfit of the doubt until proven otherwise. You should indicate that he is a liar. He was relating what he was told.

@obediant
I’ve noted it and I’ll hold you to that. history, current events, swings, sentiment and on the ground info tells me otherwise but hey. let’s meet back here the day after elections on that one.

@Sargeant
It most definitely is more than an economy. But, if you’re going to trump the society card as a political panacea, then you had better damned well get the solutions right and at the right cost.

@David

I did not deliberately refused to espons to you, the fact is i did not genuinely saw your question. The emperical evidence is the magin of victory by whcih she won the seat and to lose that amrgin after one term, will take a tsuname.

@Observing

I am in the constituency and i am also talking to constituents, any how if i am alive we will meet here a day after the elections

@Observing

We know Dwight’s strength which is: he was raised in the heart of this bellwether constituency and his father was a Louis Tull lieutenant, Tull who remains vastly popular in the constituency even today.

The only bank where nis may have that pull is bnb because they own some shares

It may have the deepest pocket but it use most of that to buy government paper. If they threaten the banks and then drop then as part where a pension cheque can be exchange people will down cry the nis. Most of Nis fund are not liquid it at least 70% government paper right now. What liquidity they do have it probably kept at bnb.

WOULD Owen Arthur agree that the best way to fight this election is to have strong individual candidates who can win on their own steam ?
ISNT this the best way to ice Mia Mottley, her threat to disrupt Party Unity and the struggling DLP -all in one go ????

JUST ASKING

By the way, is this the same Tony Marshall that is to be returning to the call-in programme at VOB? I thought they said they were not using any moderators with political affilications?

Quoting Caswell ” as a means of getting their friends and family employed.”

Probably friends and family who can’t hold a job anywhere else because they are so lazy, dishonest, or want to take 6 weeks “sick” leave a year.

I have a lot of respect fr my late father (and not much for politicians) Just before the last election both parties came to his home and offered to take him to the polling booth. I am not sure why the parties felt they had to do this as the old man was an excellent father and had nearly a dozen dutiful sons and daughters to do for him. The old man died shortly after the election and not a fella from either party, called, sent a card, flowers or showed their ugly faces at the funeral. Even though the old man had lived in the same constituency for more that 70 years. Somehow the politicians were too busy, or haven’t yet noticed that their constituent has died. Damn rascals.

Anyhow he told both parties. I am not voting in this election, because I know that I will die not long after this election, and I will not cast a vote when I know that I will not have to live with the result of that vote.
A scholar and a gentleman. And an honest man.

Wish I could say the same about any politician.

I do support the direct deposit of NIS. My greatest concern is the pensioner being able to ascertain that the amount deposited is the amount due. My first query when I heard that it was happening was “did the respective pensioner agree?’ only to learn afterward that it was mandatory without consultation.

This is the era of technology and advance technology. Each bank has issued a bank card and they are all phasing out books. We the children ought to work with our parents and encourage them. When computers came in after many years my mother took computer classes.

Why was the pensioner going to the corner shop? Does that corner shop have banking machine? The same way then they can continue shopping at the corner shop – swipe the card. Tell the sales assistant and cashier how much you want to spend and don’t go over that amount ‘please.’

Yes, we can work with our elderly to bring them alongside of us. WE don’t have to sit on the side line and watch them. They told us to go ahead and get higher education but not for us to leave them behind. We will dialogue with them and be patient. WE will encourage them.

The move by govt was indeed hasty, however, it is time to discuss, sensitize and mobilize direct transfer of pension funds.

@David and Observing

We will see that all I have to say at this time. She is from the community also.

Obediant
Maybe you should be renamed DISOBEDIANT, you’re certainly looking above the average elderly bajan. I’ve seen the way outpatients are treated at the QEH like they are the outcast, then to find out that the medication prescribed by the doctors are not in stock so the patients have to come back. Some of these are very old persons, some with walking sticks , some with walkers ans some in wheel chairs. Do you think the elderly, who have given so much to this country for little financial gain, should be treated this way? If I’m talking foolishness, then you have your head in the clouds, the problem is too many of you are so attachjed to a political party that they can do no wrong in your eyes. I would continue to speak on behalf of the down troddened and those who cannot speak for themselves. the fact that bajans are living long is posing a major problem to government whether DLP or BLP, than is why the pension age was raised to 66 or whatever, it is to the benefit of the NIS when a retired person expires within a month or so after they stop work, the family gets a $1000.00 funeral grant and the rest goes into the treasury; over the last year or so much of this is happening. Obediant, stop sticking your head in the clouds and face reality.

It might not be so simple. It seems to me that a mandate to step up the direct deposit program was interpreted or communicated to the public in a particular manner. The board members I have spoken to are very clear that there was no board decision to make direct deposits mandatory. There appears to have been agreement for direct deposits to bepromoted as the default option as opposed to the current situation where cheques are the default.

Agree Anthony, there is a missing piece of the puzzle.

Checkit-out wrote:
“Somebody slipped up and it could be as simple as the Chairman telling the Director exactly what he wanted to be done and the Director following through without giving the matter any significant thought”.

That sounds more like the version of events that I heard.

Trained Economist

I never said that the Minister, or any of the Cabinet, was aware of the decision to discontinue cheques before it was communicated to the public. I am informed that the only reason the decision was reversed was that a particular Minister was fearful of losing his seat, because of the backlash.

Prodigal
Would you pleeze stop calling my husband’s name? Tek he name out ya mout/snout.

TONY MARSHALL I luv you wid a passion. muahhhhhhhhhhh.
Cannnnnnnnnnnn wait til ya get back pun Brass Tax. De show did deadddd widout you. ya too swoiteeeeeeeeee Tony. I luv de laff bad. Doan mind de parasites like Prodigal. Rentokil gun tek care a dem fa we.

@Bonny

You mean i have to put he in my fruit basket, you are becoming very avaricious. I am going to ask that something be devloped to cut your apppetite for all these men in public life. lol

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=2Xc10x5BL90d&PBID=87ad6005-1972-4d63-92b0-8927eda53c7a&skip=

They have no other choice because the government talks before it thinks. How is the Pickering project?

Caswell Franklyn | September 25, 2011 at 11:21 PM |

Checkit-out wrote:
“Somebody slipped up and it could be as simple as the Chairman telling the Director exactly what he wanted to be done and the Director following through without giving the matter any significant thought”.

That sounds more like the version of events that I heard.
—————————
TRUE !

http://www.nis.gov.bb/index_.cfm?section=Benefits&subsection=Funeral%20Grant

http://www.nis.gov.bb/index_.cfm?section=Benefits&subsection=Survivors%27%20Grant/Pension