New restriction on allowances for the elderly sparks protest
About 70 people gathered outside the Finance Ministry on Thursday to protest a new regulation that requires elderly persons aged 60 and over to prove they are poor to be eligible for monthly allowances.
The protesters said they represented the Welfare State Network, We Fair Group, and Four Regions Slum Network, among others.
They submitted an open letter to the permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry before moving to the Interior Ministry to stage a similar protest.
The new regulation stipulates that only elderly people with no income or not enough to cover their living costs are entitled to the monthly state allowance. The document, signed by caretaker Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, was published in the Royal Gazette last Friday and came into force the next day.
The new pension rule, however, does not apply to the elderly persons who registered for the allowances with local administrative organisations before August 12, which means those currently receiving the monthly grant are unaffected.
In their statement, the protesters accused the Interior Ministry of taking advantage of the caretaker government’s remaining time in power to change the allowance rule.
They noted that the pension programme had progressed satisfactorily, with its eligibility being expanded over a decade ago to cover everyone aged 60 and over.
The statement also said that the caretaker government of General Prayut Chan-o-cha “does not believe in universal welfare”. It called on the Interior Ministry to rescind the new regulation and restore the old rule covering the monthly allowances. It also asked the National Elderly Committee to protect the rights of all elderly people in this matter.
The open letter asked the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to formulate new legislation to upgrade the monthly allowances into pensions for all the elderly. It also called on the Finance Ministry to make budget cuts on “unnecessary expenditures” and look for new sources of state revenues, such as a wealth tax on rich people and a windfall tax on businesses.
The protesters’ statement also asked the country’s new government to amend the Constitution to include the principle of universal welfare.
