Guyanese parents who are younger than 18, will not benefit from the government’s $100k cash grant. This was among several concerns raised by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) about the government’s cash grant of $100,000 to citizens 18 years and older.
The measure was initially set at $200,000 per household but was later revised to its current construct.
In a recent release, the WPA said it is disappointed with the government’s retreat from using the household as the unit to distribute the proposed cash transfer.
WPA’s Executive Member, Professor Clive Thomas, earlier today during a press conference said giving monies to each individual 18 years and over, is in effect, giving it to voters rather than families.
He noted that the use of the individual excludes many families, especially those households headed by parents below the age of eighteen.
This, Professor Thomas said, will result in those individuals either be short-changed or excluded from the government’s plan.
The WPA also took aim at politicians who were “lukewarm” to the party’s earlier talk of cash transfers to the citizenry. It was Professor Thomas who initially floated the WPA’s idea for consideration. The WPA has been updating what it calls the “The Buxton Proposal”, which, among other things, outlines a template for the distribution of oil proceeds.
“Despite the skepticism from the political elites, the WPA has kept the idea in the public arena. We remain convinced that a Universal Basic Income in the form of cash transfers is one of the most effective means of reducing poverty in Guyana.
“Our oil and gas windfall affords us a golden opportunity to implement this idea, which has been successfully adopted in many countries across the world. Indeed, the United Nations has adopted it as part of its Sustainable Development goals.”
The party said that it feels that its initial estimation of an annual transfer of approximately $1 million annually is still valid.
“In fact, given our estimation that Guyana’s oil reserves are closer to 30 billion barrels, it is our view that Guyanese households should be afforded more than that initial estimate,” the party said.
