It was slow in coming, and a rare act of bipartisan agreement, but last Friday the Senate finally approved a motion to initiate legislation to make life easier for government pensioners, a group which has been poorly served by various administrations.

The key element of the motion is that if and when the proposed legislation becomes law, the Government will launch a platform that will simplify proof of life verification for all government pensioners, to be done in phases.

It is estimated that 350,000 senior citizens, comprising 13.2 per cent of the population, will benefit from the legislation — to be called the Elderly Care and Protection Act — which will bring to an end the unnecessary stress heaped upon the elderly ones who largely live hand-to-mouth.

At present, pensioners are required to submit a life certificate once every quarter to continue receiving payments. As the name suggests, the certificate is proof that the pensioner is not dead and, hopefully, that a fraud is not being perpetuated.

The bureaucracy, some of which was necessary under the archaic system of handling pension payments, demanded that the life certificates be stamped and signed by a justice of the peace (JP), notary public, minister of religion, medical practitioner, school principal, bank manager, parish councillor, town clerk, or a high-level civil servant.

For as long as the pensioner fails to produce a life certificate, the paltry little pension payment is withheld. Woe is the poor senior who is not mobile or have reliable help to procure the certificate on time.

The new system will allow our citizens to be able to verify that they are alive from their phone and not have to search all over the place find to a JP or designated official who knows them, and then having to physically take these forms in.

Jamaica’s first blind senator, Dr Floyd Morris, will take kudos for championing the motion in 2021. Debate started in earnest in 2022 and on October 25, 2024 the Senate voted to approve it. The matter has now been referred to a special select committee, which will flesh it out and prepare a report for Senate consideration before it proceeds to Cabinet.

“This is a significant development,” commented Senator Dr Morris, following the approval of his motion. “Our senior citizens… represent a vital part of our society. They are also our largest voting block. The approval of this motion signals to our senior citizens that the People’s National Party is fighting for their interests and is committed to enacting measures that ensure their safety, dignity, and protection.”

Supporting the motion, minister without portfolio with responsibility for information, skills and digital transformation in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon acknowledged that it was too much to have to produce a Life Certificate every three months.

She said the proposed system is to operate under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and was critical to improving efficiency and making it easier for the seniors.

The minister struck the right note in saying, “the fact that there is currently no specific legislation that comprehensively protects the rights and dignity of our senior citizens is a gap that we should address”.

We couldn’t agree more.