Updates them on Senior Housing and Senior Utility Rates
Minister Hon. Maurice Lake of Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) last week met with St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SSPA) where he updated them about the public housing effort to provide affordable housing for seniors, as well as his efforts to have utility company GEBE provide lower electricity and water rates for the country’s senior citizens.
Minister Lake informed SSPA board members that he had invited them because he read about some of their wishes and he wanted to let them know that he has been working on similar initiatives.
"I always listen, respect and do whatever I can for our seniors. We can talk but then we walk the talk and get it done. When I first took office, I got my Ministry to upgrade the John Larmonie Center for the seniors, which is not my portfolio.
"Then I signed the building permit to build senior citizen homes. During the Christmas season I got the contractor to give back to the Red Cross senior’s residences in Belvedere by giving gift vouchers of Naf.270 to shop at Sunny Foods. This was followed by getting GEBE to put lights for the seniors under the Gazebo by the Red Cross homes in Belvedere. There should never be any politics in health care, education and issues that concern our senior citizens.
"I have advised the GEBE supervisory board and management to consider cutting electricity and water utilities for our seniors and to take away payment of the late fee because they didn’t get a chance to pay their bills on time," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.
SSPA points of interests are housing, energy costs, health care, and agriculture (locally produced food).
Minister Lake explained about the 24 senior citizen homes that will be available this year, and about steps that have been taken to buy land in order to build additional homes in the near future for the country’s elderly.
With respect to utility rates, the new supervisory board of utility company GEBE has already taken the decision to study the possibility of offering the country’s seniors a reduced rate once they meet certain criteria. The SSPA was asked to assist in identifying the seniors for this upcoming project.
Minister Lake provided information with respect to GEBE’s efforts of exploring alternative energy sources as a means of reducing utility rates for the entire population.
SSPA during the meeting spoke about the quality of healthcare on the island as being worrisome, and said a new hospital should not only be built from a structural perspective, but that the quality of health care should also be improved at the same time.
SSPA also shared their view about backyard farming and that there should be a Government Agri-station where unemployed young people could work and the community would reap fresh produce.
Minister Lake said he was in agreement of backyard farming and creating opportunities for nation’s populace and pointed out that he had already identified land for agriculture development which has already been utilized by several local agriculturalists.
Minister Lake assured the senior representative body that he would continue to work in their benefit, and that he would assist in the SSPA being able to meet with the Council of Ministers so they can formally update the Council with respect to their concerns in 2014.
"Everything goes back to basics. Basic health care, a basic level of income, a basic level of education that allows people to be employable, and contribute to the national development process, are all essential to moving our country forward and upward. I am committed to seeing that the country meets the individual needs of our society whereby everybody is given the tools to develop themselves and move upward.
"Our seniors are the building blocks of our society. They are the ones, who have developed the foundation of what we enjoy today, and therefore their interests must be looked at, and they must be provided for in their old age.
"The expansion of the St. Maarten Medical Center is on the move. I will continue to work in the interests of our seniors to make sure that they get what they deserve, and several initiatives catering to their interests are currently underway," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.
The First Vice President of SSPA Raymond Jessurun gave a synopsis of his presentation to Minister Lake and members of his Cabinet that he had given to seniors at their New Year’s Congress which recently took place.
The presentation highlighted many statements made by politicians recently and in the past, and the plight of the country’s seniors as they lobby for increases in their pension; recognition from government and equality in the Kingdom. The overall conclusion was that many politicians talked but don’t do the walk where there is no action, and SSPA would like to see a change where this is concerned.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Minister Hon. Maurice Lake