Since the darkness of COVID-19 cast its shadow over Guyana, many Guyanese have been left in a quandary. From loss of income to homelessness, it is the will to live that has saved many people from losing all hope. The children’s formal education has been interrupted leaving many parents, teachers and students struggling to master the new order of online learning. Guyana’s children with little or no access to the internet are being left behind.
We have had to adjust to this unusual way of living where our freedoms have been restricted and the fear of breathing in the air has made us unshackled prisoners of the global disorder.
Still, within the shadows of COVID-19, sparks of light give us hope. The announcement of the $25000 COVID cash grant in September 2020 was one light for many Guyanese. Money cannot buy peace or happiness, but a cash grant would alleviate some of the worry for many families even if only for a short time. Some paid bills could be settled, or empty pantries stocked. The people expressed their gratitude.
There have been reports that deemed the distribution of the COVID cash grant a success. When former President Granger received his, the story about him donating it to a few families made the news. I was unsure why it made the news. Perhaps it was newsworthy to show that both the ‘haves and haves not’ are entitled to the grant. Perhaps because the political agendas are always in effect.
Nevertheless, despite the success stories, the process is not without its issues. For the first couple of months after the distribution began, I knew no one who received it. Even when distribution began in Region 4 and it was reported that millions had already been distributed, I knew no one. Within the last couple of weeks however, I know a few people who received the grant. But in some communities, it is alleged that many families have been left without. There was a report on the communities of Buxton and Friendship for example. It was reported by a community leader that some houses were bypassed deliberately. The people complained and it was alleged that a policeman even stated that everyone cannot expect to receive the grant.
There were also reports from Success squatting area. One report stated that some squatters did receive the grant. However, in another report, some squatters complained that they had not. Those who allegedly did not receive the grant said a promise from the distribution team to return at a particular time was never fulfilled.
I have seen many people enquiring on social media about when the grant will be distributed in their area. Some have reported that they heard the grant was distributed in their area but that no one visited their home. Some heard that the distribution had ended in their area, but they were not aware that it had even begun.
Some people have received a ‘pink slip’ with a promise that they would later receive the grant because their information must be verified. Many people who are especially renting reported this.
There was also a report that some of the clerks distributing the grant were threatened in some communities. These are trying times and people are frustrated. Some families need the money and if they are told that they do not qualify or that they must wait, their expressions of anger and disappointment cannot be unexpected.
Based on one’s perspective, the distribution could be deemed a success or failure. Certainly, there are those recipients who have applauded the process. While others have complained that the grant was too little. But in some instances, the discontent is valid. Imagine a household of ten or more having to make do with $25000. Certainly, the cash grant was not meant to feed families for a month or more, but just to supplement what they earn. But many already poor Guyanese have been plunged into a deeper state of poverty because of COVID-19.
Then there are those who received the pink slip and are still waiting. It was said that in the second phase, these people will receive their grant. But I wonder, for people who are renting and were given a pink slip instead of their grant, could a rent receipt not be proof? And, what about the folks that no one visited, and the distribution has ended in their area? Will there be systems in place so that these people can claim their grant once they provide all the evidence that is needed to verify that they do qualify?
I am wondering if a different method of distribution could not be utilized to ensure that every Guyanese household indeed receives the COVID cash grant. Certainly, the process of having clerks, police and community leaders moving from house to house would result in some dissatisfaction. One would imagine that this land rich in natural resources; on which flattering articles have been written about the transformation that could take place because of oil wealth, would be further along in our methods. In America stimulus cheques were deposited into people’s bank accounts or mailed. The process of distributing the COVID cash grant began in September and almost four months later it is ongoing in a country of less than a million citizens. It was reported that the distribution is nearing its end, but there has been no sign of the teams in the area where I reside and many others.
The exercise also again exposes the disparity between the rich and the poor in Guyana. Certainly, Guyana’s wealth has never been equitably distributed, but every day now the gap seems to be widening. With no end in sight for COVID, are there plans for cash grants until the pandemic ends? Can other methods for distribution be explored? And certainly, every Guyanese household deserves much more than US125.
