In piloting the pensions bill through Parliament, Social Development Minister Glenn Ramadharsingh boasted that it was among the measures the Government had promised to implement in its first 120 days.

This was a useful reminder. Almost three months have already passed, so most of those 32 measures should be well under way by now.

Speaking in the Senate two weeks ago, Dr Ramadharsingh listed three others he said were already in place: the Ministry of the People, the Ministry of Justice, and the move to "axe the tax."

Dr Ramadharsingh himself is the Minister of the People. The Ministry of Justice is also in place—but it isn't on the list in the People's Partnership manifesto.

The tax to be axed was the deeply unpopular new property tax brought in by the PNM, in a bill assented to by the President on December 31.

The mechanisms for assessing and collecting the tax were not set up in time for the deadline in March this year; but the act has not been repealed. So how has the tax been axed?

As for pensions, even though they were dealt with in the first bill passed by the new Government, that matter is not cut and dried either.

The 120-day promise was that: "We will replace the senior citizens' grant with old age pension and increase it to $3,000." But later in the manifesto comes the claim that: "Our Government will…remove all restrictions and qualifications…every citizen will automatically receive a state-funded old-age pension upon the attainment of pensionable age."

Campaign ads blurred the distinction, and furthermore said the qualifying age would be 60. But instead, the new act will merely give an increase of $500 a month to those over 65 who already qualify for a pension.

That's why it was reported last week that "scores of angry pensioners" had complained at a forum for older people held in St Joseph.

"I expected to be paid an old-age pension of $3,000 from the State in addition to my National Insurance Scheme (NIS) entitlement," one of them told the Express. "When I voted in the general election, I voted for a $3,000 pension. I did not vote for my NIS to be topped up…I feel cheated."

The Government has not taken this criticism on board, however. Instead, when the Opposition pointed out the shortfall, Government MPs reacted angrily, claiming they had followed the manifesto promise to the letter.

But it seems that at the very least there was some sleight of hand.

Pensioners are not lamenting that they misunderstood what they were being promised; they are blaming the Government for outsmarting them to get their votes.

What about the other measures the Government swore to implement during this 120-day honeymoon?

There are pledges on big issues and small ones: crime, consultations on numerous topics, poverty reduction, and setting up cameras at traffic lights. It promised, among other things, to "increase police presence everywhere"; to start paving roads; to release funds for reforestation; and to provide every hospital with more beds, equipment or other resources as needed.

Some of the promises are quite precise. First on the list are laptops for SEA students. The children are to get them, says the manifesto, in time "to begin their secondary school education." So that must mean when the new school year opens, two weeks from tomorrow.

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has already commissioned the promised investigation into Petrotrin and other state enterprises. The Prime Minister has received pledges of $1 million in donations to the planned $100 million Life Fund for sick children, though no one has said whether the fund has been formally established, or where the other $99 million will come from.

It's harder to tick off others on the list, because you can't be sure exactly what was promised.

"We will begin addressing the issue of securing and expanding Gate," says the manifesto. Does that mean the population can expect that the Government will have started talking about the issue within 120 days, or that concrete steps will have been taken?

"We will prepare an immediate action plan for containing criminal activities and reducing the number of murders. This first phase," says the manifesto, "will run from June to December 2010."

So the plan must have been put into effect already, then. But what is it? National Security Minister John Sandy addressed Parliament on crime last month, saying security guards would be asked to assist the police, and that communities should engage in sporting contests instead of gang warfare. Were those initiatives part of this plan?

What else was in it?

Most importantly, when will we see the reduction in the murder rate? It's hard to say whether any progress has been made with regard to many of these promises—or even, in many cases, what would constitute progress—because of the fuzzy language in which they are carefully couched.

That won't save the Government if it doesn't start delivering within the next month, though. On May 24, people voted for change. Their patience will not last long if they feel they have been short-changed instead.