Jagdeo defends wealth, benefits

…says honesty is what matters

“Ministers of Government do not have to live in a ‘logie’ to prove they are not corrupt”

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday vehemently defended his monthly Gy$3 million presidential pension, establishing that such benefits have been historically offered. He also clarified that since demitting office he has never tapped the Treasury to cover his medical expenses.

The former Head of State and now executive of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), was at the time addressing journalists at a specially convened press conference at Freedom House to address issues he said were misrepresented from his speech at Babu Jaan on Sunday.

Other issues were, however, raised at the press conference, including his home on the East Coast of Demerara, a medical evacuation on a private jet to the US last year for treatment, and his Gy$3 million monthly pension.  But Jagdeo, in response, told the packed media room that his benefits now were no different than those of former Guyanese Heads of State.

“When Arthur Chung got a pension, 7/8 of his salary, got medical benefits as part of his condition to serve as President; although he served for just a small period, no one questioned. He got electricity, water, all utilities, we hired two nurses for him, provided vehicles, got duty free concession and everything. The same thing was done for Desmond Hoyte, keeping the utility, the payment of the vehicles, everything. Janet Jagan had the same thing; they were all subjects of Cabinet decision, historically,” Jagdeo told reporters.

He said his only “wrong” was seeking to make the benefits transparent. With that, he said a decision was made to have a bill passed in Parliament, which would prevent any President from making a decision on his benefits at the level of the Cabinet.

“I said ‘let us take all that the other Presidents had before and ensure that we put it in a bill and it becomes transparent. That we take it to Parliament so that in the future, the Head of the Cabinet, the President, can’t determine his own benefits. We passed that, then they said it is Jagdeo’s pension, Jagdeo took it for himself,” he explained.

Jagdeo said he could not understand why such a huge “hullabaloo” was being made of his pension, since, while the same benefits have been offered to Presidents of the past, he remained the longest serving Head of State of the Republic of Guyana.

“I served 12 years, more than Hoyte, Janet Jagan, Arthur Chung and Cheddi combined and they still have issues with my benefits when every other President prior to me got those benefits.”

He continued: “In 20 odd years in public office, the worst thing that they can say about me is that I have a pension that they try to make it look like I took for myself, which is not true and that I have a big house and that I earn a lot of money abroad … After 20 odd years in public office as Minister of Finance and President, everything I do, I am transparent about it,” the Former Guyanese President said.

Private medivac

Questions were also fired about the former President’s illness back in 2011, where he was medivaced to the United States for medical checks. In response, Jagdeo affirmed that it was not anyone’s business, as the money used was from his personal funds.

“Since I left office, I’ve been on two checkups and I have not been reimbursed for it, I have not received a cent on medical expenses from the State. The State did not pay, that is my private business. None from the Treasury for the three years that I have been out of office.”

Further questioned about his home at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara and whether former President Cheddi Jagan would have been proud of his accumulation of wealth, Jagdeo said the former President living  in a large house (for that time) at Bel Air did not weaken his commitment to the cause. According to him, honesty is top priority.

“I don’t believe that Ministers should have to live in a “logie” to prove that they are not corrupt. I believe that once what they achieve, they achieve honestly. Why should they be ashamed of investing their money in a house like so many people are doing or aspiring to do?” he queried.