SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – Member of Parliament (MP) Angelique Romou reached out to the Bankers Association via a letter in her capacity as a representative of the people in the hope to start a fruitful working relationship in the best interest of the seniors of country St. Maarten, MP Romou said on Sunday evening in a press statement.
“The concerns were mainly regarding the treatment of our senior citizens and the service they receive when visiting the local banking institutions. In particular having seniors standing in long lines outside the banks particularly during the payout of their monthly pension and their accommodations once inside of the bank.”
MP Romou in said letter also outlined possible solutions which she indicated the banks should seriously consider:
Namely: – Making provisions for seniors during the time when pension is being paid out, such as; placing tents and seats outside of the bank for seniors who are waiting in line.
- Once inside the bank providing them with adequate seating, possibly having the bank attendants monitor the seating, and politely asking persons seated to stand to give the seniors preference if this is necessary
- Assigning Specific hours possibly for 2 or 3 mornings, during the payout of pension, e.g. from 8:30 am – 9:30 am so that seniors have priority with dedicated tellers that can assist them swiftly.
MP Romou made note that previously during the Spike of Covid-19, some of these suggestions were already being executed by certain banks, so she did not foresee it being so difficult to make it a norm.
MP Romou wanted to stress on the fact that when it comes to our seniors, they are the gems of our community and should be treated as such. Various factors should be taken into consideration which may have adverse effects on our seniors when they are forced to wait for long periods, such as exhaustion and fatigue. If they have to wait in the sun or in the heat, they can encounter dehydration, heat strokes, etc.
MP Romou insists and says it is imperative that we do all that we can do as a community to honor our seniors by giving them the preferential treatment they deserve even while attending to their financial affairs at the bank.
MP Romou awaits a response from the banks hoping that her solutions are taken into consideration. It is also her hope that together they can come up with other quick and plausible solutions to ensure that our seniors receive their well-deserved preferential treatment.
