Economist and Former Finance Minister under the APNU+AFC Government, Winston Jordan, believes President Irfaan Ali and his Government need to be explicit about eligibility for the $100,000 per adult Guyanese cash grant, now that they have taken his suggestion onboard for the grant to be given to every adult Guyanese instead of every household.

During an appearance on Thursday on the “Buxtonian Morning Show”, Mr. Jordan said the Government needs to be very clear about Guyanese who will benefit and must explicitly state that the grant would be for every Guyanese resident in Guyana.

He said a resident Guyanese would be a Guyanese living in Guyana or who is resident in Guyana for at least 183 days in every year. Jordan said leaving the eligibility open to just “Guyanese” could cause issues.

“It is missing an adjective. It must target every ‘resident’ Guyanese, because how can it target every Guyanese? The Guyanese living in Iceland? Those who live in Japan? Those who live in the United States? And well you know that’s probably more than the population here. Those who live in Suriname and Venezuela?…You have to make this thing very clear, you have to make it explicit that the cash transfer target adult Guyanese residents. I have already gotten two messages asking whether the Government is prepared to wire their $100,000 to them”, the Former Finance Minister said.

He said the Government must be clear about the beneficiaries of the grant, noting that about 600,000 adult Guyanese resident in Guyana would benefit from the $100,000 grant and it would cost the same $60 Billion that would have benefited from the $200,000 per household grant which has now been scrapped.

Mr. Jordan said the Government should also expand the qualification age to those who are 18-years-old as at December 2024, instead of January 2024, as announced by the President.

Mr. Jordan said by using the January 2024 cut off date, thousands of young people who became 18 after that date could be left in the cold.

“I have a problem with the 1st January 2024, because if the cash grant is meant to attenuate the cost of living issues that people have gone through for the entire 2024, why are you denying 18-year-old adults from benefiting from this cash grant in 2024. Why are you going to 1st January 2024 and not 31st December 2024. There is a whole set of adult youths, if you want to call them, 18 years who are going to be exempted from this cash grant and then you say you like youths. Mr. President please, change this thing to 31st December 2024, all those who are at age 18 by 31st December 2024, the 1st January 2024 will not cut it”, Jordan implored.

The former Finance Minister said limiting the qualifying date to 1st January 2024 is an error and a huge blunder that must be corrected.

While the Government has indicated that distribution of the grant will begin “soon”, it has not provided a definite start date. However, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the grant will be handed out over a five-month period and most of it will be issued through cheques.

President Irfaan Ali in announcing the one-off grant said it is meant to assist citizens as part of the Government’s efforts to tackle the rise in the cost of living.

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