Courtesy - The Island
It is now more than a year, since the Director General of Pensions stopped the monthly pension payments from November 2009 to all overseas pensioners without stating any valid reason.
I have been writing on behalf of my wife who is a Sri Lankan Government Pensioner, PN 111714, since December 2009 and again when new sets of Forms were issued to open new savings accounts with the Peoples Bank, Queens Branch, 38, D R Wijewardena. Mawatha, Colombo 10. These documents were duly certified by the Sri Lankan Consul Bandu Dissanayake (Melbourne) who came to the Clayton Community Aged Care and signed all these forms, and we are most grateful to him, since my wife was unable to call at his office.
Read more I sent all these certified documents through my nephew who is living in Mount Lavinia in June 2010, who handed them personally to the Deputy Director of Pensions Maligawatta Secretariat, Colombo. Since then he had visited the Department of Pensions, Western Province Provincial Council, Pension Branch, Colombo, Kachcheri, Dam Street, and the People’s Bank, Queens Branch several times in the sun and rain, and have not been successful.
When my nephew called at the WP Provincial Council, Pension Branch Colombo Kachcheri, Dam Street early in August 2010, he was told that the cheque with arrears had been sent to the Peoples Bank Queens Branch from the Colombo Kachcheri to the Peoples Bank, yet the Bank has not received any payment at all.
My nephew called at the Colombo Kachcheri again in September and October 2010, during this period it appears that the File is missing or willfully misplaced and the officer had apologised to my nephew.
On the 17th November, I wrote to the Director of Pensions, Maligawatta Secretariat, Colombo 10, to take disciplinary action against this official for telling a deliberate lie.
This official may have been expecting some "PALM OIL" from my Nephew, which is very common in dealing with Government Departments in Sri Lanka. It was not forth coming and the simplest way was to say "File lost or misplaced" thereby causing great inconvenience to the Public/Pensioners.
In view of the above situation I had no choice but to make a fresh application and forward it through the Sri Lanka High Commission, Canberra on the 17th November 2010. Once again the Sri Lankan Consul in Melbourne Bandu Dissanayake had to come to the Clayton Community Aged Care to sign these documents for which I have to thank him.
How long will my wife have to wait to draw her pension?
Recently I met several Sri Lankan pensioners who had gone to Sri Lanka after the new regulations were issued by the Director General of Pensions. They had tried to draw their pensions at the Peoples Bank, Queens Branch, 38, D R Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10, but were told to open a new Savings Account with one condition "Pensioners should personally draw money when he/she visits Sri Lanka".
Having taken three weeks to one month leave to draw the pension at the Bank, and meet old friends and relations in Sri Lanka, their endeavour has been a total failure, as they were pushed from one Department to another.
These officers attached to the record room of the Provincial Council- Pension Branch are fully aware that the overseas pensioners have a limited time to get things moving, visiting friends, and relations, if they find no "PALM OIL" is forth-coming they only say your Pension File is missing or misplaced and the matter ends at that.
The average pension of a Sri Lanka Pensioner living in Australia is about Rupees Ten Thousand (Rs.10.000 if he or she retains their pension for a period of (1) one year there will be Rs. l20,000/- accumulated in a Sri Lanka Bank account if the Pensioner wishes to withdraw his/her pension, then a return air ticket will cost between AUD 1200 and 1300 which is the equivalent to Rs. 137,000/-.
What about the old and feeble who have passed the Bibical three score and ten (70 years)? Some are in Elders Homes and these people should be given some concession. As at present, some pensioners are living with their children and others with their in-laws. Will this category of pensioner ever get their pensions?
Fred Rodrigo
Melbourne, Australia.
