Dear Editor,
The first full week of October is over, and I believe that most of Guyana’s Old Age Pension recipients have received both their 2022 books and the Government’s one-off $25,000 cash grant. Based on my own experience, as well as information filtering received, a word of thanks is extended to those responsible for a job largely well done.
The Minister of Human Services and Social Security keeps blazing a trail for others to take note and follow, by delivering what is true servanthood and what is embedded in her portfolio in an efficient and ethical manner. I think that Minister Vindhya Persaud has set that standard, and continues to raise the bar on herself and staff. The staff of the Ministry handled their duties with professionalism, efficiency, and warmth. That was my one-hour experience, and that on day 1. Good job! Many others from several more heavily populated sites, all in Region 4, spoke of some initial confusion and disorder on Monday morning, but things settled down to a steady rhythm thereafter. By my observation and calculation, the actual individual process took approximately 90 to 120 seconds. On the careful side, the grant vouchers were delivered, but not cash, which I thought added a sensible safety feature to the proceedings. The word that $25,000 cash was being distributed to the elderly may have made a few prime candidates for post collection extracurriculars of a criminal kind.
On a different note, part of the post-mortem exercise at the Ministry’s HQ must recognize that some centres are simply too congested, because of neighbourhoods grouped together, and the demographics of the population base in those. I say this because as late as 15:00 hrs on Friday, the last day of the exercise, a site on Aubrey Barker Street was conspicuous in the density of its crowd. This could be a function of locations available in those extended aggregated communities; or a matter of the restraints of staffing numbers. I suggest also that, with a 08:00hrs start time on the first day, it would make sense to be onsite and all setup for business prior to the opening bell. I understand that this is easier written than done, due to rules, logistics, expense, and a slew of other issues. Yet, it must be remembered that some of the pensioner constituency are not in the best of health, and some assembled at processing sites as early as 06:00hrs on Monday last.
All in all, the citizens who went through the process spoke more of a positive experience than any list of harsh complaints. I close by saying again (and I can’t emphasize this enough) that I think Minister Persaud has been exemplary in sincerity and integrity in delivering on her duty.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall