-Jagdeo chastises Opposition for instilling fear, deterring people from registering for $100k cash grant

GENERAL Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, has called out the scare tactics being mobilised by the Opposition to depreciate the $100,000 cash grant.
During a press conference last Thursday at Freedom House, the question concerning data protection was raised, to which Jagdeo assured the public there is no need to worry.

In response to the rumours being peddled by the Opposition, Jagdeo said: “I don’t want to feed into this conspiracy that APNU had started because they are doing a disservice to a number of people who may support APNU.”
Jagdeo, in his remarks, addressed the concerns raised by opposition leaders and others about the misuse of personal data during the registration for the $100,000 cash grant. He pointed out that many people, influenced by rumours, are afraid their data might be misused, which is causing them to hesitate or refuse to register for the grant. However, he noted the irony in this fear, as some leaders from the opposition, specifically those from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have already registered without showing concerns about data misuse.

Jagdeo highlighted a key point in his argument: the preliminary voters’ list, which contains over 700,000 names along with detailed personal information such as home addresses, is already accessible to political parties, including APNU. He questioned why there is no similar concern over the potential misuse of this extensive list, considering it contains even more sensitive data than the information collected for the cash grant.
By drawing this comparison, Jagdeo aimed to point out the inconsistency in the opposition’s logic, suggesting that the fear around the cash grant registration is unfounded, especially when there is no similar outcry regarding the much more detailed voter data in political party hands.

He then added: “So, it’s all hype over nothing and lies to create fear among people, but just an excuse again to diminish a good initiative. They can’t handle the initiative.”
He further noted, “They think by creating an issue around its distribution that you can negate the benefit of people receiving the grant and therefore convert that in some somehow to a political benefit. It’s all public data. I don’t see a single bit of information here that anyone can use,” he said.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Finance, according to Jagdeo, will not release that data to anyone.
“That is why we passed the Data Protection Act, because not just for public information. Generally, it is going to be important, with all of these cameras that we are putting up around the country, the privacy that along with the Privacy Act, that there would be important to safeguard people’s rights in the country.”

Every Guyanese aged 18 and older are eligible for the $100,000 cash grant, which was announced by President, Dr Irfaan Ali on October 16, 2024. The President highlighted that the cash grant is part of a series of initiatives designed to share the country’s wealth more inclusively.

This one-off grant is part of a series of measures being taken by the government to improve the quality of life for Guyanese, placing over $60 billion into their pockets.
The announcement of the cash grant has been widely praised by stakeholders across various sectors.

The announcement of payment methods—including cheques, direct bank account transfers and cash where applicable—provides flexibility for recipients. The government is hoping to complete the distribution process by early 2025.