“The public announcement by President Irfraan Ali, in Guyana’s National Assembly, today, Thursday October 10, 2024, about the one-off cast grant distribution of $200,000 to each household is an extremely thinly veiled political ploy aimed at winning favour ahead of Regional and General Elections, constitutionally due in 2025.” So says Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Roysdale Forde S.C in a release this afternoon.
According to the Member of Parliament (MP), whilst this figure may sound appealing, Guyanese must see it for what it really is: a mere palliative that does very little to address the systemic issues facing the Guyanese people, especially single parents, who must take the brunt of daily hardship to put food on the table for their children.
Forde said “for too long, we in Guyana have witnessed our nation rich in oil reserves, struggle under the weight of high living costs and grossly inadequate social support. With one of the highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean, it is beyond astonishing that the PPP/C government believes G$200,000 (about US$1000.00) will meaningfully alter the lives of those suffering in our local communities.”
The MP, obviously disappointed by the sum, makes known that it is simply insufficient to alleviate the financial pressures many families face daily. Recounting some of every day challenges of Guyana, he noted that the average rent for a decent three bed-room house in Georgetown is approximately US$1500.00, the rent of that house, fully furnished could be as much as US$3500- 4000.00 and that sum does not include the monthly costs of utilities and food supplies.
Lambasting the Government stinginess, the senior counsel pointed out that with a population of less than a million, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government has the capacity to provide significantly more. The shadow minister is contending that the minimum pay-out should have been GY$500,000 which would be seen as evidence of a caring government that truly prioritises the welfare of the people over electoral gains.
Instead of band-aid solutions Guyana needs a compressive approach to improve infrastructure, education, healthcare, housing, sanitation and job opportunities that will create lasting change, he asserted.
To this end Forde is demanding government move beyond superficial gestures and focus on sustainable development that genuinely uplifts the lives of all Guyanese, pointing out that this could start with a zero-tax policy. According to him “if managed wisely, it could lead to a number of benefits including increased disposable income, investment and economic growth, entrepreneurship, enhanced public services, wealth redistribution, and incentives for skilled labour.”
Finally, he cautioned, Guyanese have to hope the $200,000 cash grant distribution does not end up like the COVID cash grant, where many citizens are still waiting with pink slips to get that money, and a final audit, to the sum of billions of dollars in disbursement still to produced to the nation. Forde is therefore calling on all Guyanese to be good stewards of the proposed $200,000 payout by forcing the government to put in place a strict system to secure the integrity of the systems of distribution, transparency and accountability.
Guyanese, home and abroad, have become animated with the president’s cash grant announcement and restoration of free university education which many Guyanese see as a ploy for vote buying and opportunity for corruption through further mismanagement of the oil and gas money. Guyana is the world’s fastest growing economy and richest per capita. This year Guyana is expected to receive approximately US$2.8 Billion in oil and gas revenue. For the first half of this year Guyana’s economy grew by 49.7 percent yet half the population lives in poverty.
See below full statement by Roysdale Forde SC, MP
The public announcement by President Irfraan Ali in Guyana’s National Assembly, today, Thursday October 10, 2024, about the one-off cast grant distribution of $200,000 to each household is an extremely thinly veiled political ploy aimed at winning favour ahead of Regional and General Elections, here, in Guyana slated for 2025. Whilst this figure may sound appealing, we must see it for what it really is: a mere palliative that does very little to address the systemic issues facing the Guyanese people, especially single parents, who must take the brunt of daily hardship to put food on the table for their children.
For too long we in Guyana have witnessed our nation, rich in oil reserves, struggle under the weight of high living costs and grossly inadequate social support. With one of the highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean, it is beyond astonishing that the PPP/C government believes G$200,000 (about US$1000.00) will meaningfully alter the lives of those suffering in our local communities. This sum is simply insufficient to alleviate the financial pressures many families face daily. The average rent for a decent 3 bed-room house in the city is around US$1500.00. The rent of that very house fully furnished could be as much as US$3500- 4000.00. I have not said anything about monthly costs of utilities and food supplies.
Moreover, let us not forget that with a population of less than a million, the government has the capacity to provide significantly more- upwards of $500,000 per citizens- if it truly prioritised the welfare of the people over electoral gains. Instead of band-aid solutions, we need a compressive approach to improve infrastructure, education, healthcare, and job opportunities that will create lasting change.
The government must go beyond superficial gestures and focus on sustainable development that genuinely uplifts the lives of all Guyanese. Perhaps, one of the numerous activities that this incumbent regime can consider is a Zero tax policy for Guyanese. If managed wisely it could lead to a number of benefits including: increased disposable income, investment and economic growth, entrepreneurship, enhanced public services, wealth redistribution, and incentives for skilled labour.
Finally, we have to hope and pray that this distribution does not end up like the COVID cash grant. Many citizens are still waiting with pink slips to get that money. And the nation is still waiting on the final audit of those billions of dollars. It was James Madison who said: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” We must force the government to put in place a strict system to ensure the integrity of the systems of distribution, transparency and accountability.
