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‘Christmas donations come from pocket’- President Granger
President David Granger’s announcements of millions of dollars being given to charities and other organizations during his first Christmas in office have been many.
President David Granger
On the most recent ‘Public Interest’ television programme, President Granger said that while he is happy to have distributed and announced monies amounting to millions of dollars, he is resolute that he does not believe that his issuing of monies was too much during the festive season.
“It’s far too little, I wish I had more to give. I have been fulfilling my mandate as President and my obligation, particularly to children, during this season to support them. My wife (the First Lady) has joined me in this and a lot of what we have been giving is really not entertainment, it’s educational. And I will continue doing that.”
One of his main goals as Head of State, President Granger said is to make sure that children get the opportunity to go to school. To realize this objective, on December 23, President Granger and a team visited areas such as Akawini and Friendship in the Pomeroon, and Charity, distributing tangible items while spreading Christmas cheer. On that occasion millions of dollars were promised.
“We got another boat in Charity which will enable more children to get to school. If people think it’s too much (for me to be giving) it costs $6,000 for one child to travel one way from Akawini to Charity in a boat. If I can provide a boat to help children to get to school I will. I don’t think that that is too much.”
President Granger when asked where the monies that he has been doling out are coming from the President said the monies are coming from “Government, public money. I have some discretion on the application of applying public funds for compassionate and other public purposes.”
He said this move is not new as every President has enjoyed such privileges which are properly accounted for and “it’s not coming out of my pocket but out of the government’s coffers which I consider in the national interest.”
Presidential pardoning of women
Addressing his move to pardon women for the festive season the President said he was driven most of all by “compassion.”
“I want the women to be home for Christmas. I signed the instrument allowing them to be released on December 21, and I gave them certain criteria.”
The criteria included the fact that there were mothers incarcerated for non-violent offences and sentencing involving trafficking in persons, trafficking in cocaine and they were all women.
“I didn’t release any male. Some people tend to confuse it with the prerogative of mercy. The constitution has permitted me to act and everything I have done so far has been in accordance with the constitution. I was driven by the fact that I do not believe that mothers should be separated for their children especially during this season.”
When asked why women were the only ones selected for pardoning at this time the President said, “Christmas is different.”
He added that in May he released men who were mainly young and it was done for Independence. “Maybe in May 2016 when the Independence Anniversary comes again maybe I will release some more young men and other women who are not mothers might be considered.” (Mondale Smith)
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