The opposition PNCR yesterday said that the government’s plan to make the $100,000 cash grant available to overseas-based Guyanese is rife with opportunities for corruption,
In a press statement, the party said that every time the government speaks about the one-off cash grant, “they manifest their incompetence, lack of a plan and the divisions that exist in the PPP”.
The PNCR said that while it believes that Guyanese from the diaspora who are in Guyana, registered and have a national identification card should be able to access the $100,000 it was deeply concerned about creating another avenue for corruption.
“In the first case the government said that this cash grant is to help Guyanese with the high cost of living. It is unimaginable that they were referring to Guyanese from (the) diaspora who are at home at the time of the distribution and therefore were not experiencing the high cost of living”, the party said.
The party added that the cash grant pronouncement also raises the question: how is it you had no money to pay a little below 15,000 teachers, but you are finding money to pay thousands of Guyanese in the diaspora?
The PNCR said that it welcomed the news that the PPP/C government has agreed with the Opposition proposal to pay all those persons who are 18 years of age on the 31st December 2024 rather than January 2024 since such a move would have deprived young Guyanese of their entitlement for 2024.
The Opposition is also calling on the government to use a similar system such as in the GECOM registration process for transparency in the handing over of the grant.
“That is, the Opposition must have a Scrutineer when the payment is being made to verify each registered Guyanese receiving the cash grant. This will go a far way in ensuring transparency and accountability and avoid a repeat of the corruption and discrimination that marred the Covid 19 cash transfer”, the party said.
On Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said that Guyanese living abroad will also be eligible to collect the $100,000 cash grant with the caveat that they have to be in Guyana for the registration process and be in possession of a national ID card or passport. Further the grant has to be uplifted in person in the form of cash or cheque, depending on their location here.
“There is no residency requirement for the receipt of the cash grant. So that makes Guyanese living abroad who have an ID card or a passport also eligible for the cash grant,” he announced.
“However, they have to collect the same in Guyana, after going through a registration process. The grant will not be paid overseas. We have no intention going to New York or Toronto to register people there. They would have to be in Guyana to be registered here and they are eligible as Guyanese provided they have the requisite documents to prove such. This enormously simplifies things for us and does not discriminate against residency,” he added.
The Vice President disclosed that a software application is being developed to obtain data on collection and map out where people who register are located, thus making it easier for payments.
