Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, today said he will not be registering for the Government’s $100,000 cash grant because of the way the process has been handled, specifically as it relates to pensioners and public servants who had to join long lines to register for, and later uplift the grant. 

At a press conference today, Mr. Norton said the process to register for the grant and uplift the money is embarrassing and inhumane.

“I do not believe that it made sense for you to do another registration and I refused to register. I do not believe that the indignity, the lack of care for our pensioners was necessary. And I believe as a form of demonstration—and I do not want to carry out a campaign against it because this government has put so much people in poverty that they need the $100,000.  But I felt in my position, I should not be part of the masquerade, part of the disrespect and indignity to people of this country, having them lining up and running around,” Mr. Norton stated.

The Opposition Leader said, he believes pensioners and public servants should have been paid through the banking system, which would have significantly made the process easier for persons who do not fall in that category. 

“Those outside of that system could have been paid differently by cheque and what that means it would have reduced the burden on the system because those who are being paid through the normal. What stopped the government from producing the same slip for pensioners and deliver it to them so that the post office that they normally go to, they can go and get it in which they would be a smaller crowd,” Norton questioned.

The Opposition Leader said he supports the cash grant itself fully, and believe that it should be a regular feature, but said using the process and turning it to a political one defeats the purpose of the grant.

“Cash grant itself is not a problem, if properly dealt with it will the Guyanese—of course the amount the give is inadequate but the government also plays politics with everything and I think that they wanted to use the opportunity with the cash grant to get a database to use by the PPP in the upcoming elections and so they put people through all this thing of going register etc, they couldn’t then rely on the government system, which they should have relied on,” Mr. Norton said.

Thousands of citizens, particularly pensioners and public servants have already received the grant, while registration is ongoing in some regions and for persons who would have missed the first round of registration. In a number of other regions, the registration process is still to begin.

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