Reminding Guyanese that it was well respected Economist and Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA) Executive, Dr. Clive Thomas, who first lobbied for direct cash transfers for citizens more than six years ago, Leader for the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes on Friday said now that Government has acted on the recommendations, it must put in place the necessary framework to govern the distribution of the one-off $200,000 cash grant, which was recently announced by the President.
The AFC Leader said the announcement by President Irfaan Ali came with little details, and an attempt by the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo to explain who constitutes a household, and how that household would be identified and qualify for the grant, has also fallen short of providing a clear framework for implementation.
The Vice President, on Thursday, said that the Government, for a large part, would rely on data from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to identify households in addition to other sources, but Mr. Hughes warned that such a method could leave thousands of Guyanese households out in the cold, even those residing on the coast.
“The President has said, it will be given to a household. Does a household mean a single family living in a single dwelling? Does a household mean several families each living in a single location [and] each family would get a handout? There is no statutory definition for this. What is the position of citizens who are in the care institutions, the Palms for example and night shelters? What is the position with squatters, what is the position with miners, who are in the interior and are single? What is the position with single persons, who are still living with their parents?” he questioned.
Hughes said the absence of critical information could result in confusion and social disruption, and as such, the Government should develop a clear statutory and regulatory framework to guide the issuance of the grants.
“So, we believe first of all, there should be a statutory framework that says this amount that is being distributed based on recommendations made by a qualified economist. Secondly, the framework for the distribution will do a couple of things…one, define what a household is; two, the framework should provide for persons who have complaints, who believe that they have been overlooked, who believe that they have been unfairly treated, to actually challenge the non-distribution or if they think somebody has got twice, there must be some framework for your concerns to be addressed,” the AFC Leader reasoned.
He also made a case for there to be a clear identification of the specific categories of households. Hughes said the method proposed by the Vice President could result in thousands of households being unduly disqualified.
“That rules out a large number of people who are squatting, even in Georgetown. You don’t have to go outside Georgetown. There are issues in terms of what happens in the Indigenous areas, and so, as part of our patriotic duty, we believe this ought to be regulated, it ought to get a very clear framework so that persons who are affected by it, who believe that they might be unfairly treated or in some areas where you have several families living in one household, what happens?” Hughes said.
He said Government should learn from the mistakes of the past, and put clear systems in place.
During the distribution of the $25,000 COVID cash grant, thousands of persons complained that they were left out of the distribution and the grant ended without them benefiting.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login