Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn and members of the Alliance are criticising Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley for reportedly suggesting that pensioners in the BVI consider taking second jobs to cope with the rising cost of living.
Speaking on the Alliance: Pulse of the People broadcast this week, Walwyn said, “The first time [the Premier] mentioned… that those pensioners could go to social development to get help. Last night, Dr he mentioned they could go get a second job.”
According to Walwyn, the Premier’s responses to questions about the pensioners were insensitive and did not reassure him that issues affecting them would be addressed in the near future. “Our pensioners who helped to build this country, that he is able to enjoy the opportunity to be the Premier of this country. And he’s saying to them, ‘Go find another job,’” Walwyn said. “Or they can go to social development for assistance. Is that what we want for our seniors?”
Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull criticised what he called the government’s “nonchalant, callous” approach to the hardships facing elderly residents, whose pensions have not been adjusted to match inflation or the rising cost of living.
“We have to do it, and it seems like this nonchalant, callous type of approach,” Turnbull argued. “We’ll see what happens, and we’ll get it done before the end of the year, and then we’ll come back to you. But people are suffering.”
During a recent House of Assembly debate, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley suggested that retirees should consider re-entering the workforce.
“I believe there are other things that can be done in terms of advice to retirees, other initiatives that can be done for persons to seek various types of employment,” the Premier stated. “Not because you’re retired doesn’t mean that you just go home and sit down, you know. There’s a lot that can be done with retirees, including things through heritage and culture and things like that.”
But Turnbull said such comments ignore the struggles many seniors face on fixed incomes. “You’re talking between $1,500 and $1,800 a month that they’re expected to live off of,” he said. “How do we expect to take care of those people who paved the way with $1,800 a month?”
The Premier noted that a study on pension adjustments, promised to be completed by June, is still pending and that action is urgently needed.
“A man or a woman sitting in the House of Assembly has to be grateful if they get to the age of a senior in our society,” Territorial At-Large Representative Stacy ‘Buddha’ Mather argued. “You have to stop thinking about the problem as it exists just now. You have to think if you were in these forced institutions, if you were sitting down at home or in a home, and you’re wondering about where your next meal would come from.”
He added that it was unfortunate that lawmakers could not devise a plan or strategy to address the situation.
“I’ve heard my colleagues in there say, ’Oh, we’ve tried these things. They didn’t work,” Mather said. “Well, try them again. Adjust it and move forward.”
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