Windhoek: The leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Martin Lukato, expressed disappointment over the unfulfilled promise to increase senior citizens' pensions, despite the N.dollars 104 billion budget for the 2026/2027 Financial Year presented in the National Assembly last month. According to Namibia Press Agency, this discontent follows President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's change in stance regarding the increase of the monthly old-age pension grant from N.dollars 1,600 to N.dollars 3,000, a commitment she had previously made to senior citizens. During the budget debate in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Lukato highlighted that when a country's leader makes promises they cannot keep, those statements will be remembered by those who recorded them. He criticized the budgeted increase of N.dollars 100 for senior citizens as a failure to honor last year's promise of N.dollars 3,000 made by the head of state. Lukato emphasized the importance of pensioners, stating that they are vital to societal prog ress and have played a significant role in building the nation. He described the promised pension increase as not only a political commitment but a moral imperative. Following her inauguration, the president announced that the increase would not happen in 2025, prioritizing youth development in the current budget. Last year, Nandi-Ndaitwah had indicated that the increase to N.dollars 3,000 would be gradual, citing fiscal constraints and the need to address urgent national issues, such as youth programmes. However, Lukato pointed out that the same pensioners are the ones who raised the youth benefiting from the redirected funds, arguing that the elderly have waited too long for the promise to be fulfilled without seeing substantial results. He urged Parliament to reaffirm the commitment to pay senior citizens the promised N.dollars 3,000, asserting that it is essential not only as a policy but as a moral duty to the elderly.