In January 2023 when the question of cash transfer was posed to President Irfaan Ali he vehemently rubbished it and made known it would be one of the worst things the government could do and the quickest way to afflict Guyana with the Dutch Disease.
Ali was responding to a question posed by the media about the oil and gas money being distributed to each household. In his characteristic impudent style, Ali told the nation providing cash grant to each household would be doling out money.
The proposal for individual cash transfer first gained national attention in 2018 through Professor Clive Thomas, a member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). The WPA was part of the APNU+AFC coalition that contested both the 2015 and 2020 General and Regional Elections.
On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, bowing to public pressure the president made an about turn and announced a one-off $100,000 cash transfer to every Guyanese individual 18 years and older. The was also an about face on the $200,000 cash transfer to every household the president announced in his address to Parliament on October 10,2024
The announcement nor sum is not original to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government. Former Finance Minister, in the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government, Winston Jordan is the first person, earlier this month, who publicly made the case for $100,000 individual cash transfer.
The government has not announced when this will be done and what logistical framework would be put in place to ensure accountability of the disbursement, including meeting eligibility criteria. It is true to say before President Ali was for household or individual cash transfer he was against it.
As the debate rages on who first proposed cash transfer and PPP General Secretary, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, at his Thursday press conference, falsely sought to deny the coalition Opposition, the APNU+AFC, its credit for the cash transfer proposal.
The vice president ignored his party’s chairman, President Ali in 2023 rubbished paying out cash transfer. Neither did the vice president provide an explanation to the nation why the PPP, having supported cash transfer in its manifesto, allowed the party chairman and president of Guyana to dub any such pay out as the one of the worst things any government could do.
Vice President Jagdeo also ignored giving credit to former Finance Minister, Jordan who first made the case for $100,000 individual pay out.
Jagdeo also ignores when he provides credit to his party for having cash transfer in its manifesto, the APNU+AFC also has it in theirs. The WPA was part of the APNU+AFC coalition that contested both the 2015 and 2020 General and Regional Elections.
