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Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Darrell Allahar yesterday used his own difficulties in accessing his ministerial salary, to make the point that commercial banks were “brutalising poor people” while facilitating those persons they regarded as “somebodies”.

Speaking in the debate on the mid-year review in the Senate, Allahar said the Government felt the pain of the ordinary person and the inconvenience that they suffer “because of the abject stupidity of commercial banks and the preferential treatment they choose to give to big clients where they put the big boys first”.

“I will disclose...this is a personal lamentation. You see I must admit that I have not had an income for the past two months after leaving private practice. I know I made a decision to sacrifice for national service, and I will continue to do so even if I don’t get an income next month...I was assured by the permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister that my salary was electronically transferred to the bank because that’s what they do when they pay wages and salaries when you fill out all these little forms, I think it’s called the Iris system. That Iris system probably has glaucoma...probably cataract.” he quipped.