Caution with Proposed Welfare System Overhaul

Wednesday was the final day for receiving public submissions on the proposed discussion paper on reviewing our Welfare System. There is some comfort in the approach to be taken by Bredina Drollet Secretary for Internal Affairs and the focus on what she considers as a means to review our welfare system.
It is long overdue and her list of “proposed issues” is a step in the right direction but one can’t help but feel whether the commitment from government especially Cabinet, will be genuine considering the limited resources available and the forever changing priorities of government.
In reality, we are sitting on a “potential time bomb” because of the increasing welfare budget, lower standards of service delivery including lack of direction, commitment and policy initiatives that have stimulated a feeling of dependency towards government, an outcome that was not initially envisaged as a consequence of the economic reform process of the mid 90’s.
Unfortunately today, we see the expansion of a “conceptualized welfare state” because of the widening gap between rich and poor. We may be seeing the emergence of an “underclass of poor” where affordability of goods, services and commodities are becoming out of the reach of ordinary people and those categorized in the lower income bracket, less than $5,000 - $8,000.
Evidence of this can be seen in continuing rising food prices, higher rental costs, higher interest rates, high fuel costs and this is for Rarotonga only. Imagine these costs being doubled or even trebled in the outer islands where employment opportunities and wage bills are lower. Survival is the name of the game with the result being social consequences and impacts such as depopulation, poor public services and impacts on health for the young and the elderly and safety and education issues for the general population.
A note of caution must be emphasized to ensure that those at the lower end of the socio economic scale, will not be disadvantaged or penalized further. Government must provide a buffer or safety net to protect the most vulnerable in our communities today, children, women, the elderly, the sick, infirm and destitute and this does not necessarily mean limiting it to benefit payments.
Historically, the welfare system as we are familiar with i.e. payment of benefits etc has been longstanding since 1966 during the Albert Henry era. This was created due to the notion that “no one in the tribe must be left out and the principle of caring for our vulnerable” must always be paramount.
At the time, the commitment was there and there was always a belief that any welfare system must be in line with global realities to avoid the state living beyond its means.
Adopting models of practice from NZ and Australia may have served its purpose then but it does not appear to be applicable today as the needs of our people have changed and we are experiencing an elderly population that is becoming more dependent on the state in the absence of personal means of providing their own financial support.
The review must be done in a humane and caring manner rather than the “slash and cut approach” due to budgetary constraints, political convenience or economic demands.
Welfare systems are not only about paying benefits and pensions. It’s also about providing quality services for the very people who are the recipients of those services. We need to take a fresh, holistic approach to any proposed new system that also includes service provision for beneficiaries, subsidies for the elderly on public transport and telecom and energy subsidization to enhance the quality of life for our people.
After all, that is what our national vision espouses; to achieve the highest quality of life…” Under any proposed changes, that may not be possible because those involved in any review process have no depth nor appreciation of life’s hardships and the sacrifices made by the very people who helped build and shape this nation.
This is also election year and any proposed changes must take cognizance of political will and preference to satisfy the common good.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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