In response to public concern about transparency in the disbursement of oil wealth, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Wednesday that no legislation would be enacted to regulate the distribution of cash grants to Guyanese.
Addressing the issue at his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Jagdeo argued that legislative oversight could lead to rigid recurrent expenditures, potentially hindering government flexibility in times of economic downturn.
The government recently settled on providing a cash grant of $100,000 to every Guyanese over the age of 18, including those resident overseas, who would have to be in the country at the time of distribution to collect it. This had been preceded by an initial announcement of $200,000 per household, by President Irfaan Ali, that was changed after many citizens lamented that it would not be equitable.