$100K cash grant scheme shrouded in corruption

Jan 16, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Transparency and accountability are the two most fundamental principles in any civilised and democratic society. However, Guyana appears to be an extraordinary country in God’s world, when it comes to these two tenets of good governance; where any and everything WRONG should be acceptable as “right or a norm.” This in my view, is not an approach individuals should accept, especially if their beliefs are grounded on morality, and would call a ‘spade a spade.’

Imagine living in a country where dignified Guyanese have been disrespected by a government, who forced and forces them to stand in long queues and having to contend with the unfavourable conditions. It is clear the government has absolutely no compassion and care for the citizens, whom they serve. Matthew 22:39 reassures us, ‘to love our neighbours as ourselves…’

A simple and straightforward process in the distribution of the people’s $100K cash grant the Government is struggling to get right. Concerning to me, the National Assembly on December 18, 2024, approved the sum of $30.5B to be paid as cash grant to 305,000 eligible Guyanese, at 18years and above. From inception I sensed that this will be shrouded in CORRUPTION, since the many mechanisms announced by the government to effect Payments have NOT worked in their interest. Initially, we heard and read from the words ‘instantaneously to the creation of an app.’ The $100K cash grant is worse than the $25,000.00 COVID-19 cash grant, which had its own challenges and many Guyanese four years after, are still left with the famous ‘pink slips’ in their possessions to be paid with what is rightfully theirs. We heard of the many stories reported that monies were embezzled for personal gratifications. The continuous manipulations of the process to pay out the $100K cash grant has exposed the Government’s ineptitude and incompetence. It is clear they cannot manage huge expenditures effectively. Just a reminder of the many FAILED projects under Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s leadership, from the ‘Sheldon Factory Expansion Project to the Amalia Falls.’

May I remind your readers that the $30.5B was badly placed under the Office of the Prime Minister.  This was also pointed out to the government during the consideration of Financial Paper 4 of 2024.  Now that the chicken has come home to roost, it is evident that the Office of the Prime Minister was and is NOT involved in the process, from registration to implementation. During my visits to several registration sites in Georgetown, I observed private citizens from communities were employed as enumerators.

Editor, I have written previously on this grave issue (the $100K cash grant, highlighting the government’s short sightedness and posited several recommendations how the monies can be disbursed to Guyanese. However, the stubbornness of the Ali Regime has FAILED to implement workable solutions, which they could have used to conduct a “pilot testing.” My assumption of the government’s lacklustre approach is a deliberate move to create conditions of chaos, confusion, and frustration, to deny Guyanese what is justly theirs.

From the total sums approved in the National Assembly, it means that some three hundred thousand Guyanese should receive their $100K cheques by now. In a recent article, (Guyana Times, January 7, 2025) has quoted Dr. Ashni Singh, “over 400,000 citizens registered for 100K cash grant to date, and 95,000 cheques have been distributed.”   The question one would seek answers for, why ONLY 95,000 cheques have been processed at January 7, 2025, if 400,000 Guyanese registered and monies are available?

Let’s assume that the figures provided by Dr. Ashni Singh are accurate. My contention, which any right-thinking individual will reason is that with an already approved $30.5B, this should take care of three hundred and thousand (300,000) registered Guyanese. Therefore, the balance of $500M should take care of an additional five thousand registered Guyanese. Therefore full $30.5B will cover for 305,000 registered Guyanese, leaving a balance of 95,000 (from the 400,000 registered thus far) persons to be paid, with those regions and persons currently being registered across regions.

Editor, with the lack of transparency and accountability in data collection, it is difficult for the monies to be traced. Why so? Teachers, Public Servants, and NIS Seniors were listed as the first categories to be paid from the $30.5B. Notwithstanding this, with the figures circulated by Dr. Singh, as mentioned in the paragraph before the above, the nation is left in the wilderness as to the following:

1. Number of Teachers, Public Servants and NIS Seniors who have registered as of December 31, 2024?
2. Number of Teachers, Public Servants, and NIS Seniors, received their $100K Cash.

Therefore, if Dr. Singh want to play fair, to avoid scepticism, then he should provide disaggregated figures as per categories, for those who received their cheques at January 7, 2025.

From the above categories, I am cognizant of persons, who have NOT received their $100K cheques. Every day, persons are in contact with me expressing frustration and how badly the situation is addressed. I have Information of Senior Public Servants in Region 3, who registered in late November 2024 at the RDC office have NOT received their cheques, while many of their colleagues who registered on the same day have received their cheques.

The ‘app’ created by the Ministry of Finance as a ‘tracking mechanism’ is useless, unhelpful, and proven to be ineffective in the process. Contact numbers provided by the Ministry are left unanswered in many cases, when follow ups are done. It was further reported, behaviours of staffers at Ministry of Finance are oftentimes obnoxious and unprofessional, when inquiries are done. Again, where is the love and compassion towards our fellow mankind? While in the eyes of those external to us, Guyanese are considered as ‘hospitable and loving people.’ Why same cannot be said home?

The 2025 National Budget will be presented to the nation on Friday, January 17, 2025; and with thousands of Guyanese still to be paid, I am waiting with abated breath to hear what Dr. Singh will announce, and to inform us what has caused the delays in the processing of their cheques, and where is the remaining $21B?

In concluding, when the announcement on the $100K was made, Guyanese had plans to utilize theirs. The government must come clean and give account for the $30.5B of which $9.5B has been paid out thus far, based on my calculations, as per information provided by Dr. Singh; with a balance of $21B to be paid. Finally, the Government has rolled out a rigorous community outreach program without budgetary allocations. Let’s hope the $21B is NOT being utilized for these purposes with a hope of getting approval from the National Assembly to replenish what was spent and the additional sums to pay the remaining registrants.

Yours truly,

Annette Ferguson, MP.

($100K cash grant scheme shrouded in corruption)

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• 000 registered, 400, corruption, democratic society, National Assembly, Prime Minister

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