This morning President Irfaan Ali and an entourage met for breakfast at a Guyanese American restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. Several persons were hosted by the president and according to Mark Benschop, he was reliably informed the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government “rented the audience, bribing them with a box of meal, and some were given as much as US$5000.00 to attend.”
The social activist told this publication that those who received the money were advised by the Guyana Consulate that the sum represented a continuation of the government’s cash grant programme, but on this occasion is targeting for Guyanese living in the USA.
The activist, who is host of ‘Straight Up with Mark Benschop’ programme, aired in the evening online and 107.1 FM radio in Guyana, said he was advised by two persons prior to this morning’s breakfast that the government would have been sharing out money to some who were invited. The two persons he said have close association with the Guyana Consulate.
Benschop said what the PPP did in New York they did during the 2023 Local Government Elections campaign in Guyana. The only difference, he said, is that in New York they didn’t give out red t-shirts. He said he is aware T-shirts were not distributed because the PPP did not want to face another embarrassment of individuals throwing them on the streets as they did in Guyana. However, in America, the people would throw the T-shirts in the nearest street bin, he expressed.
The social activist said Guyanese in Guyana should be offended at the disbursement of money in the USA. When asked by this publication what informed his thinking, Benschop said whilst some Guyanese in the USA may be struggling it is not as bad as those living in Guyana.
Audibly peeved over the disbursement of money, the social activist said “the regime has refused to pay GY$1 million to every household in Guyana, as recommended by Dr. Clive Thomas, but can pay the equivalent to Guyanese in the USA, and maybe some foreigners, to do political work.”
To this end, Benschop is demanding the consulate release the amount of taxpayers’ money spent to organise President Ali’s visit to Brooklyn, including the money paid to some to attend the breakfast event.
President Ali visit to the borough was met with protest. Guyanese American carrying placards and banner expressed their view on the PPP governance, race relations, crime, corruption, extrajudicial killings among other complaints.
