Stabroek News on Wednesday spoke to people generally about the rising cost of living and how it was affecting them. Their comments follow:
Rajesh Jagnarine
Rajesh Jagnarine, shrimp vendor: ‘The cost of living is not affecting me because I am self-employed. I mean the cost of living is high, yes for persons who’s working with companies. Remember if persons’ salaries are not raised, and the foodstuff raise, the cost of living will affect them. For instance, 20 items consumers buying and each one raise by $100 more that’s $2000 more consumers have to put in the market…since their salaries remain the same, consumers will have to take out more money, even if they want to buy a lb of something, sometimes consumers have to buy half. So self-employed persons will not find it so much. Even though both husband and wife or one person working, you have to cater for the rent, electricity bills; etc., they have to pay, so they will have to cut back on everything to make their salary do. I mean if the cost of living drop, the situation would have been different, however seeing how it is, the government should raise the salary or reduce the cost of living.’
Mahadeo Ram
Mahadeo Ram: ‘Like everyone else, I’m also suffering from the rise in cost of living where I have noticed significant rises in prices at the supermarket where I go to. Even buying normal greens at the market…I can remember when we buy tomatoes, it was like $700 a lb; bora was like $400 a parcel for the last 3- 4 months ago. All I had to do was to cut back on my budget and, try to stay it out to see eventually when the government will reduce things, to see changes, in order to get benefits from these changes. Also, to see if they can put a limit on the rise in the prices. With fuel for instance, which has eventually dropped; greens and certain groceries I think came down a bit. Specific to the ones that actually raise during the last 3-4 month period – tomatoes, bora; boulanger- which was like $600 for 3 and now it is $300, and plantain was like $300 a lb then it came down to $160 a lb and rise up back to $200 a lb. The greens have been fluctuating but currently certain greens prices have gone down. So it is not as much as it went up a month or so back. Any changes I would like to see happen is more on the government level, whereby I would like to see the reduction of taxes on the every-day Guyanese like income tax, raise the PAYE threshold, etc. Also, they need to stop doing the one-off cash grant to specific minorities of Guyanese. They need to just do across the board level where people can actually see the benefits, because I have noticed six months ago, they came out and give fishermen a one-off cash grant. That is just a small part of the population; then I see they give to the hinterland region. I don’t say that they don’t need it, they do but they are only affecting …a small amount of people. One way I see they can stop is in implementing an across-the-board thing, for instance, reducing taxes. Also, not giving pensioners only a one-off cash grant but to raise the pensioners’ money per month instead’.
Shawn Alexander
Shawn Alexander, a street vendor: ‘Like the coca cola, Banks products on a whole raising rapidly. And cost of living is high around the world because we know we have a crisis around the world, not only Guyana. The government on the other hand is playing their part and doing what they have to do and we the people, still have to survive. All we need is jobs, and I think the government is trying to open some jobs for us. Also, if you have a good frame of mind and you are willing to work, you can meet there since any part of the world you go, you still have to work. I have seen that the government dropped the fuel but it could have dropped some more like before, $195 because we are producing fuel in this country right now, by rights we suppose to get a lot of benefits. I used to drive taxi for years, when I left the police force… the gas price was low but taxi driver working taxi now, it is very difficult. It’s good it dropped a little, you can’t put all the pressure on the government, they are trying. As you can see the government is developing the roads and so, we can’t get everything one time but we will meet there. We have to have patience and thing will be there. Since around the world it is rough, just like Guyana. Let us just hope and pray they remain in office so they can get the projects done. If we take them out we won’t get the blessing we should have. Also, commodities like cooking oil in the small bottle is like $800 now for a small bottle, and milk is … high…not forgetting cooking gas –we used to buy cooking gas for $3300, now cooking gas is actually $5000/$4470. The government need to try as they are trying to help because family who don’t have a good job they can try to survive in this country. And we too must help ourselves too.’
Alicia Thomas
18-year-old Alicia Thomas: ‘Yes the cost of living raise especially for single parents who barely receive money from their husband. You will find that they will get a really hard time to raise their children, especially if they have 5/6 children. Also, seeing that it is so hard, obviously the children would not benefit from the cost of living to get a good education. My mother is a single parent and I go to the market with her when I can, and I see that everything rise in the market, for instance the small Natura milk used to cost $500 a few months back, now it is $650. While the government should take everything into consideration, remember it all depends on the contracts the government is working on too. The Government should find a strategy that can work for everyone to ensure that there are suitable prices on commodities when we shop, so the prices for the commodity wouldn’t be so high.’
Jagdeo Singh
Jagdeo Singh, greens and fruit vendor at the Plaisance Market: ’Assist the people in giving them some more cash grant so they can go out and do shopping. I’m selling fruits and greens here I can tell you that the people don’t have money to shop. The government can assist but they just sit back and reaping the benefits because they have everything free at their house. The poorer class of people don’t have it, they have to buy at the shop. Everything high, except for boulanger that dropped back a little…you still have celery that is high, also pumpkin where in May/June a lb of pumpkin was sold for $60 and $70 wholesale, now it is being sold for $140 a lb wholesale, so you have to sell a piece of pumpkin for $400/$500 because people can’t afford to buy it, it’s very expensive. The salary…the government of Guyana can do something about it. How the other government can cater for a budget in September month, they can as well cater for a fast budget to help the Guyanese people but they just rock back and doing nothing. If you look at yesterday newspaper, you’ll see that the government was saying they have a US$1 billion in the bank, they showing the world they got money and get people starving in Guyana. No it’s not good.’
Stephany Carbon
Stephany Carbon: ‘I think the cost of living gone up very high, inflation take over the market. And the fact is that even though things gone up very high the quantity of things supposed to come more and at a better quality. It’s the same low grade things that are selling for a higher price. So I think the government really need to take a look into that because now that we are getting oil, things are not supposed to be how it is. For instance, cooking oil for a few months ago keep rising from $640, $660…now it continues onto $740, $760 and $800. I can remember back in the days cooking oil was sold for $340, 360 and $380. Also, greens is very high, greens is a price… now you can’t afford to cook pumpkin -$500/$600 for a piece of pumpkin, and it was $200 and $100 before. If I’m a family of 5 in a house, how am I feeding children? So you see the money is low and the food bill is high and it’s not adding up. The government should really look into it.’
Marlon Richards
Marlon Richards: ‘The cost of living is getting a little higher every day. The government should increase public servant salary and pump some money into the economy in order to raise pension a little more for example. Because of the cost of living, everything is expensive. Look at rice for instance, flour gone up; sugar gone up to $160 a lb, before it was $80 a lb; 3 weeks ago oil was high – $700 now it gone down to 600 something dollars for a bottle (it dropped a little); well rice stabilize, that is good. The government should get some money back to the people that could cushion the economy because all over the world this is happening. Put some money into the economy that can cushion the cost of living for the poor people and that would be good for us.’
Coleen Chesney
Coleen Chesney, fruit juice vendor: ‘The cost of living is high. As a fruit juice vendor to buy a 5 gal bucket of cherries now, it is expensive, it used to cost $7,000 per gallon, now it is $10,000 per gallon. Also, I can’t get white sugar. Greens raise making cost of living higher than before…1 bag of potatoes alone expensive, 3 boulanger now is for $500, before it wasn’t like that. The government should stabilize the market and stop the rise in these things since there are persons who are barely scraping for a living, and they have a lot of children to look after’.
Marchand Sandy
Marchand Sandy, security guard: ‘The cost of living is indeed high. Given my monthly salary, I can’t complain but for other persons out there who don’t have a good job they will feel the squeeze. Vegetables like boulanger was sold a few months ago for $200, now it is for $500 for 3. The meat gone up too, chicken was for $350 a lb a few months ago now it’s $600/$700 a lb. A few days ago, a thief stole like a lb of chicken, I couldn’t do him anything because the cost of living is so high for persons to afford things. The government should drop the price a little on commodities. So far I see the government helping in other areas but they should drop the price a little’.
Peter Jordan
Peter Jordan: ‘Cost of living raise a lot. Salary is not paying, the boss is not raising the salary either because of how high the cost of living is. The Government yes is working on roads but they should work on the prices of commodities so people can get to survive better. Today you have to buy less than before. For instance, cooking oil was $300 something for the past few months ago now oil is $700 something a bottle. Then you have plantain, it was sold before for $100 a lb now it is sold for $200 a lb.’
Kishon Ramkellawan
Kishon Ramkellawan: The cost of living is indeed high. The prices for vegetables have gone up, for instance, now a little piece of pumpkin cost $800, before it was cheaper. Also, you have plantains that are being sold for $200 a lb before it was cheaper. I have seen that the gas price has been lowered because I added $10,000 gas to go Berbice and back home. I got more for my money compared to buying $20,000 when the gas was high. It is even better if the gas price goes back down to how it was before. The government should help farmers out so prices can drop in the market so the cost of living can be affordable to Guyanese’.
Raj Khan
Raj Khan: ‘Cost of living has gone up drastically on everything. I think the government should lower the transportation cost on private taxis because it has risen by 25%. Also, for vegetables, for instance, plantain was like $60 a lb for the past few weeks, now it is $220 a lb; boulanger for the past few months was 200 for 4/5 now it is $300 for 3/4 boulanger; etc. The government should work toward lowering the cost on certain things in general so the cost of living can be affordable to everyone. Also, consider lowering the duties and taxes on vehicles’.
Taverner Persaud
Taverner Persaud, mother of three: ‘The cost of living is very high when you have to buy and sell back to consumers. The cost of potatoes a few months back was $80 a lb now it is $100 and $120 a lb; flour was 380 a lb now it is being sold for $460 a lb; sugar used to be 60 a lb, now it’s $200 a lb; etc. As a person that sells at a food place, I think the government should drop the cost of living on things in the market because a poor man like me is feeling it. I have rent to pay and so. Also, as a single parent, with cost of living so high for things in the market, what am I going to make to sell that’s going to be affordable to consumer?’
