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File photo: Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, addressing the media at a press conference at AGLA Building, Port of Spain.

ATTORNEY General Reginald Armour, SC, has vowed to bring a bill this parliamentary year to change the retirement age from 60 to 65 years old, he said in the Senate budget debate on Friday.

While the Government’s official website still displays an undated article quoting Finance Minister Colm Imbert as having denied any plans to raise the retirement age, in his budget speech he had hinted at a rise by saying a higher retirement age already existed in Jamaica and Barbados. Repeated auditor’s reports for the National Insurance Board (NIB) had spoken of a shrinking pool of contributors alongside more claimants.

Minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning held discussions with several union on the topic of increasing the retirement age earlier this year.

Promising laws for optional judge-alone trials, sufficiency hearings to replace preliminary inquiries, plus better witness protection, Armour said on Friday, “The societal and legislative reform is not to be limited only to the criminality that unfortunately we have to address in our society.

“So we will with equal priority be bringing legislation to this House aimed at protecting the more vulnerable members of our society – bills such as the Senior Citizen Pension (Amendment) Bill. It is intended to update and modernise the senior citizens pension scheme and to complement the proposed increase in the age of retirement from 60 to 65, giving our very knowledgeable and experienced senior citizens the opportunity to continue to contribute to our society.”

In an immediate response, three union leaders said they had not heard Armour’s statement but felt there were other alternatives the government should consider.

PSA head Leroy Baptiste told Newsday lamented that this was the Government’s modus operandi. He said he had to examine more completely the Government’s intention and then formulate a firm view. “It’s unfortunate. They do what they want to do, and then everybody has to react.”

Baptiste said that stakeholders such as labour should be brought into discussions at the formative stage of policy, rather than the Government declaring things and then people having to react. He said anyone could see that to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 has implications.

“People will have planned their lives. They have expectations. What are the implications of this move and how do they intend to address them?” He said while such things should be subject to discussion, the Government was allegedly hell-bent on doing its own thing. Rather than social dialogue and collaboration, this was simple decree, he said. “It is affecting real people with real families, people with health issues.

“Imagine you have health issues and you are hoping to be away from the workplace but they tell you five more years?”

TTUTA head Antonia de Freitas told Newsday said she needed to do some research before commenting. She said a former NIB head had recently told a TTUTA teachers convention that the NIB Act already has some provisions for retirement at 65, so she was not sure what provisions Armour had been speaking of. Asked what age teachers now retire at, de Freitas said, “Teachers usually retire at age 60.”

CWU head Clyde Elder wanted more details. He said if deficiencies were fixed within the National Insurance Scheme, that might eliminate the need to raise the retirement age. Elder said a better plan would be to increase the NIS’s contributory base by creating more employment. He lamented that keeping older workers to meet a higher retirement age would further frustrate university graduates and school-leavers at present unable to find a job. Elder said in meetings with the NIB and the Government he had voiced his objection to any reduction in benefits one could access at age 60.

Armour also promised an amendment to the Firearms Bill to let prison officers carry guns off-duty. Also lined up is a bill to address the repatriation of the wives and children of men who had left TT to fight for ISIS in the Middle East.

Armour also promised a bill to expunge the criminal records of minor offenders who have sucessfully undergone a rehabilitation process, so they don’t have to carry such a stigma for their lifetime. Parole and probation will also be addressed, he said. New laws, the AG said, will also facilitate police sting operations and amend wire-tapping legislation, the Interception of Communications Act. However a new bill, already on the order paper, will allow the polygraph testing, drug testing and biometric testing of members of the protective services.

This story was originally published with the title “AG to bring law for retirement at 65” and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

ATTORNEY General Reginald Armour vowed to bring a bill this parliamentary year to change the retirement age from the current 60 to 65 years old, he said in the Senate budget debate on Friday.

While the Government’s official website still displays an undated article quoting Finance Minister Colm Imbert as having denied any plans to raise the retirement age, in his budget speech he had hinted at a rise by saying a higher retirement age already existed in Jamaica and Barbados. Repeated auditor’s reports for the National Insurance Board (NIB) had spoken of a shrinking pool of contributors alongside more claimants.

Armour also promised an amendment to the Firearms Bill to let prison officers carry guns off-duty. Also lined up is a bill to address the repatriation of the wives and children of men who had left TT to fight for ISIS in the Middle East.

Armour also promised a bill to expunge the criminal records of minor offenders who have successfully undergone a rehabilitation process, so they don’t have to carry such a stigma for their lifetime. Parole and probation will also be addressed, he said.

New laws, the AG said, will also facilitate police sting operations and amend wire-tapping legislation, the Interception of Communications Act. However a new bill, already on the order paper, will allow the polygraph testing, drug testing and biometric testing of members of the protective services.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

PARAMARIBO — De drie vrouwelijke verdachten C.B. (31), P.V. (36) en D.M. (31) zijn donderdag op vliegveld Zorg en Hoop

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Minister Presidente cu bunita palabra pa Myandra Croes:

ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Durante su discurso relaciona cu e ceremonia di cendemento di luz na Bestuurskantoor, como signo di concientizacion riba cancer di pecho, Minister Presidente a agrega cu e anochi aki nan ta para keto pa enfatiza riba e “metastatic breast kanker”.

Pues, e cancer metastatic cu ya a plama den e curpa. El a subraya cu na Aruba tin pashentnan cu ta pasando door di e dificultad aki, y unda di nan ta Myandra Croes, un luchado cu hopi curashi y determinacion. E dignatario a expresa pa tur ciudadano cu ta pansando den un situacion asina, cu gobierno ta cu nan.

“Y nos ta tene boso den pensamento y den oracion. Y bosonan tin hopi hende rond di boso cu ta stima y sostene boso, y mi ta sigur cu boso lo logra den e lucha akinan. Pa boso awe, gobierno di Aruba ta uni den e concientizacion aki, pa nos pone extra atencion na nos hendenan muher pa nan cuida nan salud”, Minister Presidente a acentua.

Seguidamente a ilumina dilanti Bestuurskantoor, cu e luznan color rose, til y berde cu ta e tres colornan cu ta identifica cancer metastatic.

Minister Presidente a menciona cu e resto di e luna aki, e luznan ta keda na color rose na honor di esnan cu ta luchando cu cancer di pecho.

“Ban cuida nos mes, ban controla nos mes mas frecuente, ban hacie pasobra nos ta stima nos mes, nos famia, y nos kier tey hopi tempo mas cu nos famia”, Premier Wever-Croes a conclui.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Parlamentario Arthur Dowers

ORANJESTAD (AAN): No ta un asunto di ayera of luna pasa pero e situacion confuso y controversial den maneho di ex Minister Plenipotenciario na Den Haag, Besaril, ta algo cu tin cinco aña tumando luga, parlamentario pa fraccion di AVP, Arthur Dowers a declara.

   “E desaroyonan relaciona cu ex Minister Plenipotenciario Guillfred Besaril,  ta cosnan cu no a bira conoci e siman aki c’un carta di un grupo di trahadornan di Arubahuis a cuminsa circula, caminda nan a denuncia for di 2021, e maneho deficiente di Besaril.

   Loke nos tin cu mira aki ta e hecho cu mientras cu tin indicacion concreto cu Besaril a  comete hecho nan castigabel, su persona no ta politicamente responsabel pa loke el a haci ya cu den su caso, ta Minister Presidente Evelyn Wever Croes, ta esun cu ta politicamente responsabel pa tur loke su colega di partido a haci of keda sin haci.

   Kizas ta esaki ta e motibo principal di con ainda e investigacion haci riba maneho di Besaril na Arubahuis, ainda no a yega parlamento of a worde publica pero ta un hecho cu esun responsabel legalmente  tambe, lo ta Minister Presidente Wever Croes.

   Esun of esunnan cu a manda e carta fecha prome di Mei di 2021, pa Prome Minister Evelyn Wever Croes,  ta hendenan di MEP,  algun cu hasta tabata riba lista di e partido geel pero a prefera di no interveni of tuma medida ya cu tur loke Besaril haci como Minister Plenipotenciario, ta responsabilidad directo di Prome Minister.

Loke ta ainda mas serio di e situacion  y e famoso carta cu di repente a bira conoci e siman aki, ta e hecho cu e ta duna indicacion cu e lider di MEP prome cu eleccion 2021, tabata na altura di fechorianan cometi pa su Minister Plenipotenciario na Den Haag.

Asina mes como lider di MEP,  Evelyn a pone Besaril riba lista pa eleccion y sabiendo contenido di e carta di trahadonan di Arubahuis, a bolbe nombra e mesun persona controversial aki den e posicion aki na Den Haag, loke ta pone hende pensa ta di con esaki a tuma luga.

Awor un biaha mas Prome Minister Evelyn ta haciendo su maximo esfuerso pa e rapport of investigacion bira publico of pa esaki worde trata den Parlamento pero e lider di MEP lo busca tur forma pa evita cu su responsabilidad den e asunto aki, no ta worde cuestiona,” Parlamentario Arthur Dowers a declara.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

ORANJESTAD (AAN): Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association (AHATA) su Environmental Committee (Comision di Medio Ambiente) a duna un presentacion diahuebs atardi den Alhambra Ballroom na varios compania chikito y mediano.

   E comision  ta consisti di representantenan boluntario cu ta lidera practica di sostenibilidad na companianan miembro di AHATA.

   Pa conmemora ‘Earth Day’ aña pasa, AHATA a distribui su guia di ‘Environmental Best Practices’ cu e meta pa motiva compania miembro pa implementa practica di sosteniblidad den nan operacion diario. E aña aki a scoge pa haci un presentacion cu ta complementa e informacion brinda den e guia y duna ehempelnan practico di companianan local cu ta tumando pasonan den e area di sosteniblidad. E  presentacion di e comision ta ilustra e beneficionan pa nos medio ambiente y e beneficio financiero pa companianan cu ta compromete nan mes na sostenibilidad.

   Topiconan presenta den e sesion a inclui: e tres pilarnan di sosteniblidad (social, ambiental, y economico) y e sistemanan principal di reduci, reusa, recicla y reutilisa. A ilustra kico ta sosteniblidad den un negoshi, conservacion di awa y coriente, mantenemento preventivo, y trabao boluntario pa bienestar di nos comunidad. Un elemento importante tambe ta con pa involucra empleadonan den e proceso di sostenibilidad. Na final, e comision a ofrece un ‘mentorship program’ pa yuda companianan miembro introduci sosteniblidad den nan companianan cu practicanan basico.

   E presentadornan tabata John Wardlaw di Tropical Bottling Company, Miriam Stuurman di De Palm Island, Ryan Bareño di Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, Andrew Rasmijn di Marriott’s Aruba Surf & Ocean Club, y Daniel Aguirre di La Cabana Beach Resort. Otro miembronan di e comision cu a yuda cu  planificacion y ehecucion ta Astrid Winterdaal di De Palm Tours, y Vanessa Rasmussen y Laura Molina di AHATA.

   Na 2023 AHATA su Comision di Medio Ambiente tin diferente proyecto planea, incluyendo bishita scolnan primario y secundario pa crea mas conscientisacion den nos comunidad.

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