…says Guyanese cannot be disenfranchised due to political affiliation
Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon has called on the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma to get on with the audit of the administration of the Government’s COVID-19 cash grant as requested by the President Irfaan Ali.
Harmon’s nudging came at a press conference on Monday during which he reminded the public that many persons are still complaining about disparity in the distribution of the $25,000 grant, influenced by political affiliation.
In December 2020, President Ali had called for an audit into the distribution grant to ensure that all households across the country benefit. He said that the Auditor General would “go back house-to-house to ensure that the houses match the payments that were made”.
However, Harmon pointed out that over a month has passed and the President’s expressed interest in such an audit has not commenced.
“Thousands of households are being denied [and] bypassed. Guyanese who are suffering and who are entitled have been complaining that they have not received the grant even though, in many instances, the distribution agents have visited their areas and some of them actually live to next to these agents who are distributing the grants,” the Opposition Leader reported.
“Again, I call on you Mr. Auditor General to get up and get. You have been instructed by Excellency, Irfaan Ali to do an audit of this grant and on to now, we cannot hear a word from as to when this audit will commence or if you intend to commence it at all. The Guyanese people are looking at you and they’re looking at you very seriously.”
Harmon said, from reports received, the distribution agents are primarily political activists and appear to be working under the instruction to skip over certain communities or households. Though he has called for the audit, the President has stated that he has not received any formal reports of persons not receiving the cash grant.
Even so, he called for the audit being aware of the concerns raised on the subject. The Ministries of Finance and Human Services and Social Security have been tasked to work along with the Auditor General.
