Dear Editor,
The cash grant is on, that’s for sure. Whether $200,000, or $100,000, or some later fraction of that, because both Excellency Ali said so, and Dr. Jagdeo said so, then it is so. Guyanese can turn up on a national holiday, a sacred religious one, and cup emblems of truth in their palms, then no man or woman in this country should disbelieve them. Inciden-tally, I like that epiphany: cup and palms. It is why I think that a few Guyanese are wrongly focused and arriving at the wrong place. The first thing that observant Guyanese must do is discard economic logic relative to the hundred grand. Second, let us all agree that this is less about of cost of living relief. Third, whether this is harmony or Freedom House antics, the hundred large is an elections subsidy and not a temporary price remedy. I had said so before, repeat one more time, and it is why the matter of timing is so, ahm, sensitive. Elaboration follows.
Economic logic: sellers are waiting for the cash rollout, waiting to pounce. Also, please stop talking about paying US$500 to travel from Uncle Sam to collect US$500. Pay for the plane ticket, so that a good time is had with family and friends, and only a few hours have to be donated to voting. C’mon people, the man is showing that he cares, with that airline/elections subsidy, what else is wanted? The PPP to fund the rum and gilbaka, too? The timing is of the essence, as my dear fellow socializer, AG Anil Nandlall, would be sure to say. Give the people the US$500 now, and they will not come back to exercise the franchise in June. This is where that App has to do its part. It will take some time to get the foreign feature debugged. Remember: forget about economic logic; deal in Jagdeo elections logic (and logistics). To wrap up this first point, the natives should be the first recipients, the Yankees are next, while elections are somewhere in the neighbourhood. Locals are captive, as in the bag; the diaspora calls for some smoother management. Prediction: elections by Q2 next year. The App would be functioning just fine to reel in the foreign fishes and whatever else is fishy about this whole setup.
Next, to put kindly, I rarely listen to Excellency Ali. I say this because the $100K could not have been about listening to the wails of men and women and responding with $100,000 as cost of living amelioration. For four years came and went, and neither President Ali nor the other one listened. They spoke impatiently, then angrily. Look at how much was done. Then infrastructure to make access easier, goods cheaper. Then, subsidies to farmers (in reality, the first elections cash down payments). The vice president reassured Guyanese that there will be more money coming. When I hear Jagdeo speaking about more cash coming later to citizens, the questions are simple. When, who, where, and in what amounts? A cash handout to sugar doesn’t sweeten other Guyanese tea. Or life. One to farmers do not bring down prices. But the record will be of cash handouts. Speaking to myself, is the GY$60 billion in the system currently or soon enough? Is that why there is shillyshallying on distribution, with some mysterious App being made the scapegoat.
I know that Jagdeo speaks from both sides of his mouth. But I don’t believe that he talks with a lisp. Did he mean asp and not app? The former is a snake and look at what it did to Mark Antony and Cleopatra and, by extension, the Roman Empire. That may be so, but even on his baddest day, Jagdeo will never bite Guyanese with such finality. Who then will be alive to vote for him besides me? So, to my fellow PPP and PNC voters (yes, I am all things to all people), by process of reasoning, elections logic trumps economic logic. Just check with Dr. Jagdeo.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall