The pensioners’ cash grant distribution which began on Monday continued to be plagued by disorganisation and delays yesterday and it is unclear how many are still to receive their $100,000 cheques from the government.
Some pensioners are now being informed that their cheques are not ready and may not be available until the end of January. Originally they had been assured by President Irfaan Ali that the cheques would be available before November last year. This stretched into December and while thousands of cheques have been shared to persons 18 and over the process has been marred by problems, long lines and lengthy delays.
Hundreds of pensioners who turned up yesterday at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) office in Klien-Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, were informed that their cheques might be at the Leonora branch on the West Coast of Demerara, despite having registered at the Klien-Pouderoyen office. The lack of clear communication has forced some pensioners to make multiple trips between locations, further compounding their frustration.
NIS Public Relations Officer, Dianne Lewis-Baxter, explained to Stabroek News yesterday that the process involves collaboration between NIS staff and the Ministry of Finance team. “The Ministry of Finance is responsible for preparing the cheques, and NIS staff handles the dispatching. However, if the cheques are not ready, there’s nothing we can give to pensioners.”
Many pensioners have turned to the app provided for updates, only to encounter vague statuses such as, “Venue to be Announced,” “Submitted,” “Check Print-ed,” or “Check to be Prepared.” Even those relying on these updates often leave empty-handed.
“This is not the first time they’re coming. These persons came on Monday and Thursday, checked the app, and saw ‘Venue to be Announced’. But we still don’t have the cheques,” one NIS staffer explained.
“This is so disorganised. We’re being sent back and forth with no proper explanation,” one pensioner complained, expressing disappointment over the lack of clarity in the process.
Efforts to resolve the delays are ongoing.
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton also criticised the government’s handling of the $100,000 cash grant. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Norton described the chaotic distribution process as evidence of the government’s incompetence.
Norton argued that the registration process was unnecessary and demeaning, particularly for pensioners and public servants. “There’s a disrespect for people. There’s a contempt for people. And so they put them through these big long lines in small areas and all the confusion rather than using the existing system to deliver that,” he said.
He suggested that the government could have used established systems, such as the pension and public service payroll mechanisms, to distribute the grants more efficiently. “Any child would have known it made sense to use the systems already in place,” Norton opined, taking the administration to task for politicising the grant distribution and suggesting the exercise was designed to create a database for electoral gain.