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DEAR EDITOR,
As Members of Parliament, we took an oath to represent the people of Guyana without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and in keeping with that oath we consider it our duty to inform all of what is nothing short of blatant disrespect and disregard for the Guyanese people.
The unfair and callous way the PPPC installed government is distributing the COVID-19 $25000 cash relief grant is hurting the people of Region One and more specifically our Indigenous brothers and sisters. When the complaints came to our hearing on October 4, 2020, we said to everyone who complained that according to the President every household will receive the cash grant and advised them to allow the week to finish before we draw any conclusion.
The week (October 4 -10, 2020) has ended and so too has the distribution in Region One. Well at least the first phase of the distribution. We are assuming that there will be a second phase because some head of households received a ‘pink slip’ instead of the $25000 and were told that when more money comes they will get their share. But let’s focus on the more than six hundred million that was already distributed in Region One and how it was done.
We are of the opinion that a household is one family and ideally speaking it means a father, a mother and children under one roof. But realistically speaking, Guyana has many families under one roof. Even in Georgetown you find more than one family living under the same roof. A family may be renting the downstairs of a house or sometimes the downstairs is divided into two apartments and is rented out to two different families and another family may be living upstairs of that same house. Editor, this is exactly the situation in Region One. There are multiple families living under one roof but that is not the issue. The duplicitous behaviour of the people that are distributing the COVID cash grant is the issue and the fact that the Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman who are both aware of this issue and more so because they seem not to care is worrying to say the least.
Editor, riverine communities with indigenous families perceived to be supporters of the PPP/C are all happy because regardless of the number of families under one roof, they all got the $25000 but when the distributors go to riverine communities that are perceived coalition supporters only one single person gets the $25000 regardless of the number of families living under the roof. This is the complaint both MP Ganesh Mahipaul and MP Ronald Cox received and it is a travesty and great shame to know that this very administration which champions Indigenous rights is turning a blind eye to it.
Another complaint we received is that people who are renting houses are not getting the COVID cash grant and in all cases these are people who are living for over 15 years in Kumaka and other communities. If it is true that once you are renting a house, COVID-19 does not affect you then we are ready to rent a mansion.
How can the PPP/C be so blatant in the distribution of state resources? Clearly the statement about serving all Guyanese at the ceremony to install the President is just words. The practice that is taking place in Region One is a clear case of political discrimination. Many people said to me that under the APNUAFC government at least all Guyanese benefitted and they hope that Guyana will return to that position soon. We call on the PPP/C to end this wicked discriminatory practice.
Editor, the Indigenous communities deserve better and we call on Mr. Peter Persaud who is currently at the Guest House in Mabaruma to speak up and speak out against this wicked action from the managers of the COVID-19 cash relief grant. Mr. Persaud is the President of The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG) and he told us that his function is to visit Indigenous communities and fix their problems but for the last week we saw Indigenous peoples coming to Mabaruma’s Guest House from far distances, paying huge sums of money and relating their issues to Peter Persaud. Many times we would have to assist him with advise and for the Indigenous people that complained about the unfair manner in which the COVID-19 cash grant is being distributed our advice was to record the names of the head of the households along with the number of people in the household (meaning one family), their addresses, ID card numbers and telephone numbers. We will make it public. Fix it President Irfaan Ali, fix it for it is taxpayers money not yours.
Yours faithfully,
Ganesh Mahipaul, M.P.
Ronald Cox, M.P.
