insinuates grant will be spent on ‘Hair, Nails, and Vybz Kartel’

DAVID Patterson, the Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), has received backlash for his remarks insinuating that individuals receiving the government’s $100,000 cash grant will squander the money on personal luxuries, such as hair, nails, and parties.
Patterson made the comments during a recent AFC meeting in New Amsterdam, Berbice, where he addressed a largely Afro-Guyanese audience.

In his address, Patterson opined that despite the rising cost of living, some Guyanese would misuse the grant rather than addressing their financial challenges.
According to him some of the recipients would squander the grant during the holiday season, adding, “In December you will take that whole $100,000 and go and spend it by a shop owned by somebody who has been empowered to keep you where you are.”
He added that, “They will come in January and February for the youths. They will bring Vybz Kartel, the World Boss, and the people that been complaining and saying that how things hard will take that same entire 100,000, new hair, new nails.”
Patterson’s remarks quickly drew the ire of many Guyanese, who took to social media to express their outrage.

They accused the former Minister of Public Infrastructure of being out of touch with the struggles faced by ordinary citizens and criticised him for making such generalised assumptions about how the grant would be spent.
One social media user fired back, “Uncle is reality, nothing you do in this life is good enough. You can’t please human beings. Okay, but don’t bring in Kartel in this. We, the small man and woman, does spend dem money on house, kids, and school stuff for the kids. So wah we do wit dah money is not you concern. You trying to lose vote.”

Another Facebook user, Paul Ward, noted, “You can’t say ain’t nothing wrong with it and then talk bad about it. Also, that money is going to the hairdressers and the people who do nails, so it’s going back into businesses. He needs to mind his business because it’s not his money.”
One particularly biting response came from Sasha Eastman, who stated, “Stwwww, them does fret me. When they were in government, why didn’t they give each household a million or any of the money? No, they were busy with themselves. Now the PPP is doing for us the citizens of Guyana, and they get crap to talk. Stww… all he got to do is buy wig for himself if that’s what bothering him.”

Others criticized Patterson’s personal history during his time in government, particularly the controversy surrounding his alleged misuse of funds from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Company.
Reports indicate that Patterson received over $500,000 in gold jewellery and other gifts totalling more than $6.7 million from various government agencies.
Patterson has repeatedly denied receiving the items, but the scandal has continued to haunt his political career.

One commenter alluded to this by stating, “Hear who talking. You should shame to talk. What did you do for the five years you were there? Take Demerara Harbour Bridge money and buy jewellery for yourself.”
The $100,000 cash grant was recently introduced by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government as part of its efforts to alleviate the burden of the rising cost of living affecting Guyanese households.
The move has been welcomed by many citizens as a timely intervention, but Patterson’s remarks have ignited a public debate over how such financial aid should be spent and whether politicians should dictate its use.

In response to Patterson’s comments, one citizen, Victorious Shanta, summed up the sentiment of many by saying, “Why worried about what the Guyanese will be doing with the $100k? Allow the Guyanese people to spend their money. Not everyone is the same, and many will spend it wisely as well.”