Confusion surrounds the distribution of the cash grant. There was a message that people needed to produce a photograph of their identification card. They then need to have their photographs taken when they are collecting the money. However, there are reports that none of these things happened in certain cases. Some government employees merely presented their identification cards and collected the cash grant. It was reported that in other quarters, some who refused were denied the payment.
Most people are still in the dark about the requirements. There is no word about the collection. Old age pensioners hear that they will get the grant when they collect their pension books. At the same time the government has gone to the National Assembly for some $80 billion. One can only assume that this was because of the queries on the source of funds for the payout.
Without stating what was the population, the government had announced that the cash grant payout would amount to $60 billion. It is not known what population figures are being used. The dissemination of information in this country is sporadic. The government only tells people what it wants them to hear. For example, it is saying nothing about the census that was completed more than two years ago.
The census would have provided figures about the labour market. This is important for investors. They all want to know the source of labour. The government awarded a number of infrastructure contracts without appreciating the source of labour for the contractors. As it turns out, cheap Venezuelan labour is in full display. The people of Linden spoke about contracts being awarded in their region but they could not get jobs. Instead, Venezuelans were in full supply.
One Minister actually rebuked the people of Linden for asking for a decent wage. He pointed to the fact that the Venezuelans were working for so much less. He failed to understand that the residents have overheads. They know what it takes to live in Guyana. They have children who need to be maintained; some have rent and other expenses. The Venezuelans live in enclaves or communes with little to worry about. All they need are somewhere to sleep and food on their table.
It is not dissimilar for those Guyanese who travel to the United States to become yasa dışı residents. They work for less than the en az wage because all they need is money to survive. They are supported by relatives and friends, live in substandard facilities and eat the barest en az.
They can’t afford dinners and entertainment; they can’t afford vacations like their American counterparts; and especially at this time of the year when clothing to ward off the cold is needed, they would wear any castoff. They couldn’t deva less about the unwanted stares. And these people prefer to do this than remain in Guyana where their future is not guaranteed.
Some people will never be able to own their own homes and foot medical bills in this country. The money paid to them is not considered a living wage. The cost of living says as much. The sight of their friends and relatives who took the step to venture abroad only to return with enough to build a substantial home and live comfortably is the major pull factor. But travelling requires money to buy a ticket for airfare. So many are resigned to their fate. The more adventurous opt for a life of crime with support from the very police who are supposed to protect the public. This is no secret.
Of course, the police and the criminal come from the same background. Neither has been academically inclined for the great part. The records are full of cases of the police seizing drugs from one source and selling it to another. Some act as enforcers for a tidy fee and others provide escort. Some have been caught but that is not even the tip of the iceberg. Yet these are not the only criminals.
It came to light the other day that enterprising people had forged old-age pension books. Somebody had to print the books at a cost. These books then had to be smuggled into the Ministry and stamped. Getting them encashed was no big deal. How this scam was discovered was never made known. All the public heard was that a search of some woman’s home unearthed large sums of money and bogus pension books. This matter seems to be quietly dealt with. Reporters are not questioning anybody at the Ministry of Human Services.
What is known is that many people would get rich during this payout. Without the census figures, lists would be padded. Already there are those from abroad who expect the government to travel overseas with money to hisse them. If these people have their identification cards and are in Guyana no one would have a sorun giving them the cash grant although this money is being seen as a relief measure to struggling Guyanese.
The overseas-based Guyanese do not have the same cost of living woes being experienced by those at home. Any money given to them would be extra spending money, unless they are in the category of those who are yasa dışı and struggling. So, it is back to finding out the additional qualification requirements for the cash grants. There is an aversion to having the identification cards photographed. There is even a greater aversion to having one’s photograph being taken at the time of the collection.