Open Letter to the President- NIS and the $10B

Apr 05, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I am writing out of great concern about the National Insurance Scheme and problems that citizens are experiencing in the country to access their pension. This, even in view of the 10 (ten) billion-dollar injection by the government of H.E President Dr. Irfaan Ali, in which the intention is to assist persons who might have fallen short of some N.I.S contributions.

This is not my first letter on N.I.S and the way they ill-treat our hardworking citizens. My last letter, dated the 28^th of January 2023, definitely gained traction, with my many social media commentaries and posts. Many prominent citizens wrote letters and commented on this matter after mine was published. The government heard! They listened! Then they did this beautiful and great thing to assist the Guyanese people in enjoying the benefits of their toil and labour in service to the nation. The government needs to be recognized and complimented for this. I am advising the government at this juncture to use its media resources to advise the population again on this 10-billion-dollar injection. This will be PR platinum; it will win the hearts of the people.  

The population, in my opinion, is not well advised by the N.I.S. The N.I.S is not extending this information to the people for their education so that they may take advantage of the government’s injection. This is why I am asking the government’s media to do them justice by mass producing information such as jingles to make the citizens aware. So, since the citizens do not know en masse, they will not rush to the N.I.S to get their benefits. You need mass advisories on the television, the radio and the print media.

I had written of a situation with Mrs. Umawattie Singh, a relative of mine, in a letter to the media and also to the N.I.S. To date, there has been no update on this matter despite the injection of the $10B by the government of Guyana. I do not understand why the N.I.S always seems hell-bent on making people’s lives miserable. They seem to think they are the treasury or the bank and holders of the money, as usual.

The N.I.S, on its part, is not doing anything to give comfort to people who are suffering and have suffered over the decades. The N.I.S gets richer because many in waiting, hoping and begging have died. It was always the opinion of the people of this country that the N.I.S was pressuring and delaying people, hoping they would just die.

My letter to the media was titled N.I.S and the ‘Bleeding’ of Guyanese Citizens (published in the Kaieteur News on January 28th, 2023).  Some other letters written to the media in the past by the undersigned are:

1.     The Buck Stops with Me- Published January 5, 2014, Guyana Chronicle 

2.   Open letter on N.I.S to Dr. Ashni Singh– Published July 20, 2021, Guyana Times

3.   N.I.S Challenges- My Heart Bleeds- Published May 16, 2022, Guyana Times

This is a thing I have been working on for decades. I know the misery that the Guyanese people have been undergoing. But I also know the terror of people who live in the streets eventually, because of dishonest employers and sadly many in the security industry as well; the sawmilling industry, the rice industry, the rice millers, the Chinese businesses and so many other businesses that just refuse to cover their employees with the National Insurance. This creates heartaches, distress and poverty amongst people as the owners of these industries gloat and enjoy the fat of the wealth stolen from the poor working people.

I wish to also mention that on several social media posts and voice notes, I had advised the government to take one of the shipments of our part of the oil and put that sum into the N.I.S to solve the crisis of the people and embellish the wisdom and leadership of the government of Guyana.

Now, some points to note on this $10B injection of funds by the government:

1.      The government and the National Insurance Scheme need to go on a mass media campaign to educate and create awareness among the people of this country, including those who might have paid their part and then overseas. The response of the people will be gratefulness from the contributor and gratefulness from all their children, grandchildren, family and friends, which could have a great impact on the government of Guyana.

 2.   Urgent Clarity: quote from the Vice President: “We have just put in the budget $10B that will give every N.I.S contributor between five hundred to seven hundred forty-nine contributions (500-749) from the 1970s to now. They will now get a cheque which will be a substantial sum of money.

 3.   It would appear that the intention is not to give a pension but to give a one-off cash grant which, in my opinion, is still short of reality. What of the persons who contributed with all good intentions and fall short of one, two or three payments? In the matter that I highlighted in the media of Mrs. Umawattie Singh, a pavement vendor now very ill and in her twilight years, cries daily as she feels as though N.I.S deceived her. She was encouraged to continue paying, which she did with over thirty (30) contributions. But she was never advised that she missed one (1) contribution. I think in the court of law, the Judge’s discretion would speak in her favour.

N.I.S is now telling her and others who are missing 1, 2 or 3 contributions that they cannot get a pension and cannot even make up because they were self-employed. A pavement vendor who cannot read or write sacrificed to fulfill the law and to invest in her old age. She ensured that she was covered and thought she would be protected. Now, N.I.S is saying that such persons missing even one contribution cannot make up. Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali, VP Jagdeo and Hon. Min. of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh, are you all aware of this!!!??? This seems to be definite ludicrousness.  

It would appear that the laws were created to emasculate, denigrate and destroy people. Your government, your cabinet definitely has the power to change this law, honourable ladies and gentlemen.

4.   An employed person can make up through their employer for missed contributions, but a self-employed person cannot make up for even one contribution. In my opinion, this is painful and even nonsensical. Of course, the government of Guyana did not create these laws, but this government of Guyana could create history and win hearts or possibly power for many decades to come by fixing this law.

With all of the points above and my last letter to the General Manager, Ms. Holly Greaves of N.I.S, dated 10^th February 2025, to which there has been no response!!!  

Again, I cry out for our people, I appeal to the good government of this country! The people’s government! You have the power to fix this matter, in which you have made a few beautiful steps towards achieving. The sum of 10 billion dollars is tremendous, but the laws need to be tweaked to suit modern civilization and the needs of the people. Laws and policies created 50, 60 or 100 years ago are mostly irrelevant when it comes to the people in modern society. I still say take one of our oil shares and put it in the N.I.S in its entirety to make your people smile, my dear government of Guyana.

 Sincerely,

Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan

(Open Letter to the President- NIS and the $10B)

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• Dr. Ashni Singh, Dr. Irfaan Ali, N.I.S contributions., National Insurance Scheme, PR platinum, social media

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