Dear Editor,
Confusion was not a surprising feature as the $100k pay out to residents got underway in Lethem today Tuesday 3rd December, 2024. The confusion started with a Social Media Post on an untitled document informing residents that the pay-out will be done from the 3rd -6th December 2024 – this was after the Vice President was credited to have said that only Pensioners will be paid before the holidays. The aforementioned document was therefore met with scepticism. Apparently, many residents followed the advice contained in the document and visited the REO’S Page for more information. Note- not the RDC Page as should have been the case.
At the venue of the pay out there was a huge tent with seating for less than half of the residents there. There was another shed for pensioners; most of whom were there since 8am on Tuesday. Three tables were set up to deal with residents from Lethem, Tabatinga and St. Ignatius. Well here is where the confusion began. The Pensioners had to surrender their ID Cards to the Mayor of Lethem and had the obvious expectation that they would receive their pay-outs promptly. That was not the case. Sometime after 1pm some pensioners approached me with enquiries as to their pay-outs. I contacted the Mayor and was told that the checks were sorted but something happened and it was difficult to put all the pensioners cheques back together.
Another aspect to the confusion was the fact that the St. Ignatius table had a staff calling out names of residents on a PA system while the tables for Lethem and Tabatinga had a female, each with weak voices doing the same. This resulted in many residents from these areas not hearing when their names were called. Apparently there was not a system in place. For instance, names beginning with the letter A were called, then D, S, T, J, then back to A. So intense was the confusion that some residents left in disgust.
At around 2pm pensioners were informed that they would have to come back the next day, Wednesday to allow for the resorting of the cheques. I then asked the Mayor if they were not going to give the pensioners a snack since they were there since 8am. Sometime around 3pm my wife and daughter’s names were called. I am still waiting to hear my name. We are all Parker and our cheques should have been together. I am a very suspicious person; and I wonder if the “something that happened” according to the Mayor, resulted in the disappearance of my cheque. I am waiting. I have until the 6th to see.
If this is any indication as to how the Region’s business is being conducted, then we are in big trouble. If I were to organise such an activity, I would have done the pay outs in the respective communities on alternate days. Rupununi no longer has the 10,000 residents as was the case back in the 90s. As of right now, 27 minutes past 10 on Wednesday morning, my cheque is still to be located. However, high ranking members of the PPP all have received theirs. Is this, the “something happened” alluded to by the Mayor?
Sincerely,
Carl Parker
Pensioner