I am 67-years-old and the holder of a Clico EFPA policy contract in the princely sum of $55,000. I have received no interest on my policy since August 2010 and I have been waiting since before Christmas last year to get back my money as promised by the Minister of Finance, Mr Winston Dookeran in his Budget presentation.
Similar promises and assurances have been made by him on several other occasions since then (ie before the end of 2010, before end of January 2011, before Carnival) and the most recent is via a newspaper advertisement indicating by September 2011. I really hope this time he keeps his word.
However, I am persuaded that given his modus operandi and track record thus far nothing would have happened had it not been for the unrelenting efforts of Mr Permell and his Clico Policyholders Group. Accordingly, I wish to record my sincere gratitude, thanks and appreciation to them for continuing to stand up for policyholders (against all odds) whether they be those of us with policies of 75,000 and under or $75,000 and over.
I am not ashamed to say that I am anxiously looking forward to getting back this money as it represents a significant portion of my modest lifesavings that I have worked so hard to accumulate over the years.
In fact, what this means to me personally is that I will now be able to afford to pay the $50,000 for a much needed pacemaker that my doctor prescribed recently. My heart therefore goes out to the thousands and thousands of other policyholders who will not be as fortunate and may be in similar or worse situations at this time, and will probably have no choice but to go to court to protect their interests.
My advice to them is: yes, the Clico issue is not being handled properly but stay strong and don't give up because God doesn't like ugly.
A Richards
Via e-mail