Kaieteur News – The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has welcomed the government’s initiative of a one-off $200,000 cash grant to every household. However, the party noted that short-term relief does very little overall for citizens who face various economic hardships.
During the WPA’s press conference on Monday, the party’s leader Dr. David Hinds said, “While the WPA welcomes the initiative announced by the president as a baby step forward, we bemoan the fact that taken as a whole, they represent more of an election gimmickry rather than a genuine attempt to address the country’s debilitating social and economic problems.”
The WPA believes that the initiative should be annual and be a percentage of revenues earned from oil and gas. It should be noted that currently oil is being produced from the Stabroek Block, which is operated by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL). Last year Guyana earned $336 billion from oil.
Leader of the Working
People’s Alliance (WPA),
Dr. David Hinds
Dr. Hinds argued that the relief provided by the measures announced last week by President Irfaan Ali during his special address to the Twelfth Parliament, would ultimately do little for the working class and the poor. He emphasized that Guyana needs a sustained, long-term socio-economic development plan rather than the temporary measures outlined by the president.
“Nowhere in the president’s address, for example, did he frontally confront the persistent poverty that continues to take its toll on the populace. It is estimated that approximately 42% of Guyanese live on less than 5.5 US dollars per day,” he said.
Dr. Hinds continued, “This is unacceptable in a country which boasts one of the highest GDP growths in the world. The WPA continues to believe that direct cash transfers to the citizens is one of the most potent ways to tackle these problems.”
Moreover, the WPA believes that the announcements are a clear example of political opportunism. It was stated that mounting pressures to address the skyrocketing cost-of-living and the widening gap between growth and development, is what pushed the government to resort to the opposition’s idea of cash transfer to citizens.
“While the cash transfer should be welcomed by Guyanese, especially the poor and the working poor, Guyanese should not be fooled, it is at best an undertaking that is potentially burdened with opportunities for corruption…” Dr. Hinds said.
Importantly, to ensure the cash transfer policy has a meaningful and lasting impact, the WPA proposed that it be linked directly to poverty alleviation efforts. The party leader suggested, “It must also benefit from a feasibility study to determine its scope and design. It must be grounded in law so that it is shielded from the whims and fancies of the political executive.”
