The Working People’ s Alliance (WPA) yesterday said that it wholeheartedly supports the recommendation by Elder Eusi Kwayana that the government’ s recent promised $100,000 cash grant to each person over 18 years be taken to the National Assembly for full debate and passage into law.
“Indeed, the WPA’s cash transfer proposal, in the form of the Buxton Proposal, calls for such payments to be sanctioned by legislation. Like elder Kwayana, we feel that a policy of this magnitude should not be left to the whims and fancies of the executive branch. Second, given the range of opinion on this policy, the proper democratic approach is to subject it to the widest debate and scrutiny by the elected representatives of the people. Further, Guyana’s constitution gives ultimate control of the national purse strings to the legislative branch”, the WPA said in a statement.
It noted that Article 217 (4) of Guyana’s constitution clearly states that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than the Consolidated Fund unless the issue of those moneys has been authorized by or under an Act of Parliament.” It said that since the cash grant in question was not part of the 2024 budget, it is a violation of the constitution to proceed with its implementation without legislative approval.
The WPA, which was part of the 2015-2020 governing APNU+AFC coalition, said it “condemns in the strongest terms the government’s decision to proceed with implementing the grant without legislative cover. We view this decision, as articulated by Vice President Jagdeo at his most recent press conference, as yet another brazen autocratic act—a form of governance that has been normalized by this government. It is a grave manifestation of executive lawlessness and tyranny that has no place in a democratic order”.
The party added that Jagdeo’s explanation that legislation would impose rigid recurrent expenditure on the executive is at best “nonsensical”. The WPA said that it exposes the Vice President’s unfamiliarity with how the law works, in particular the relationship between law and the economy.
“Further, it ominously betrays a worrying disrespect for the rule of law—something that should be resisted by all Guyanese”, the party added.
