Will Guyanese citizens abroad really come home for the promised GY$100,000?

Nov 02, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

There seems to be a lot of brouhaha centering around the, now, much ballyhooed GY$100,000 (translating to approximately US$500) extended to Guyanese citizens living abroad. The caveat being that they have to be physically present in Guyana to receive such.

To all the conspiracy theorists and armchair bloggers, I ask. Do you honestly think that the GY$100,000 will be enough to offset the cost of airfares, transportation etc., with any considerable sum left over for consumption after the citizens arrive in Guyana?

I think not.

Within reason, I opine that, unless their visits to Guyana are long overdue for family reunions and other sundries or, voting that coincide with the receipt of the GY$100,000, I will be hard pressed to believe that the GY$100,000 will be enough of a princely sum to lure them.

To all the naysayers, the more objective questions is: Where is the Government getting the GY$60B to effect this “immediate” cash payout of GY$100,000 since it was not part of the 2024 budget.

A series of hiccups dogged this initiative from the inception of President Ali’s announcement. From $200,000 to $100,000. From “immediate” to “when the app is fully developed”. Not sure if a pilot programme will be implemented first or even if the app will be tested prior to full scale deployment as this information has not been availed to the public.

Given the above grey areas, and theorizing- (1) The GY$60B, may very well be incorporated in the 2025 budget instead. (2) The developing app may magically become 100% functional closest to Election 2025. (3) The developing app may contain personal citizens information that should ONLY be reposed within GECOM and can be commanded as an AI tool for nefariousness and/or state capture.

Guyana has fewer than one million citizens. With all the funding and receipt of Oil Dollars, the government think tanks and advisors seem to be making retrograde steps in their attempt to shape policies. If President Ali receives and act upon skewed advice from the “advisors”, then the above scenarios may very well be repeated ad nauseam. The ship of government needs to be goal oriented- 1 year, 5 years, 10 years plan etc., lest the “over promising and under delivering” create a crisis of confidence.