The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has given more cash support stimulus in five months than the former Coalition government granted during its five-year term, says former PPP/C Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
Dr. Ramsammy, in a recent Facebook post, compared the disbursements made by the PPP/C since assuming office on August 2, 2020 to the Coalition’s management of the country (May 2015- August 2020). The Ministerial Advisor said that when the PPP/C took over Government in August, there was an “overdraft of almost $100B, an increasing foreign debt and a budget deficit of close to 10%.” He noted, too, that the dismal financial status was further compounded by the raging COVID-19 pandemic and the stagnation of the business environment.
Dr. Ramsammy said that notwithstanding these challenges, the PPP/C government, led by Dr. Irfaan Ali, was able to “double the school supplies voucher for every child, reintroduce the cash grant for every child and increase it to $15000, increase old age pension, provide a $25000 per household grant, provide a two-week salary bonus for health workers and members of the disciplined services, provide a cash grant for parents with children 7 years old and under and now, has announced a cash grant of $25000 for every public servant, including those that work in State agencies, pensioners, GUYSUCO (Guyana Sugar Worker) workers and UG (University of Guyana) workers.”
He added: “In just five months, President Ali and the PPP have provided more cash support stimulus to the Guyanese people than [Former President, David] Granger and APNU+AFC did in five years. In those five years Granger and his colleagues not only did not give anything to people, but they took away things. They took away more than 7000 sugar workers jobs, more than 30,000 other jobs, placed more than 200 new taxes on people, including VAT (Value Added Tax) on water and electricity, took away the $10,000 cash grant to school children and the water and electricity subsidies for pensioners, took away the One Laptop per family program and many things more.”
Dr. Ramsammy said that the PPP/C “has always worked for our people [and] In 2021, President Ali and the PPP will cause Guyana to rise to heights never imagined.”
