The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE government will consider raising the pension given to soldiers who participated in the Second World War, Adina Munroe, the First Secretary and office manager of the British Legion, Bahamas Branch, said yesterday.

The veterans have long asked for an increase to their pension, which they say has remained the same since 1945, despite commitments from various parliamentarians.

Ms Munroe was speaking to The Tribune after a meeting on Monday between State Finance Minister Michael Halkitis and several veterans. Comrade Cephas Ferguson, Chairman and Treasurer of the British Legion, Bahamas Branch, spoke on behalf of the veterans at the Ministry of Finance.

“We are in urgent need of reimbursement of $7,886.37 in poppy funds that were invested in the purchase of building material to restore the government-owned building the veterans have now occupied since 1945, located on Baillou Hill Road,” Mr Ferguson said. “Our bank account is in urgent need of these funds by May 10, 2014 for the continuation of our monthly war pension disbursements for the remainder of the year.”

“We are also requesting an increase of the monthly war pension of $11 that we are currently receiving from the government of the Bahamas and have been receiving since 1945. To date we have only received $7,285 from the government during the month of January, an amount which has to be divided among our current membership of 54 elderly veterans and a widow, thus equating to $11.24 cents per member.”

“I trust that something can be done urgently for us as we are few in number and our bills are still many and we are losing our comrades very quickly. I, therefore, thank you, Minister Halkitis, for sitting with us today and we know you will do something for us to keep our organisation financially alive for the next eight months. Our monthly disbursement of war pensions per month is $6,000 and we are in urgent need of $50,000 to take our organisation comfortably to December. Poppy sales are down due to hard economic times and this is usually our source of income to keep our organisation operational.

“We were advised by the Minister of National Security when we met with him during 2012 to refer these pressing matters to the Minister of Finance. We have the confidence that you will help us.”

According to Ms Munroe, Mr Halkitis responded positively to the veterans’ concerns and said he would consult with his colleagues and respond to them this month.