PPP/C says will provide targeted cash transfers if elected to office

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in its elections manifesto has promised to provide targeted cash transfers to vulnerable groups using monies from the oil and gas sector.

Promising that it will ensure oil revenue works for all Guyanese and is spent on improving people’s lives, the party said it will provide “targeted cash transfers to Guyanese particularly the elderly, children, the poor and other vulnerable groups.”

The party said the revenues will also be directed to creating jobs, providing world-class education and healthcare, social and economic infrastructure, saving for future generations, strong local content for Guyanese and tax reduction for individuals and businesses.

The party on Friday last launched an excerpt from its manifesto under the theme: ‘Our plan for prosperity 2020-2025.’

The official launch will be done in January 2020.

Presidential Candidate for the PPP/C, Irfaan Ali said the party will also be working on measures to target at-risk communities.

He noted that initiatives which will be implemented in communities with sugar estates will be different from those in the hinterland or on the East Bank of Demerara.

“Everyone must feel like the system and the Government works for them,” he noted.

Ali said all of the policies outlined in the manifesto are achievable.

“These policies were analysed…and we have satisfied ourselves that within the budgetary framework, within the financial and the economic framework of our country, they’re realistic and we would achieve them,” the Presidential Candidate said.

The party says it has plans to ensure that the wealth from the petroleum sector is not squandered.

Among those plans are to criminalise the non-disclosure of funds received from oil revenues, ensure annual reports from the Government are laid in the National Assembly detailing oil revenues and expenditure, ensure regular audits along with the involvement of civil society to monitor compliance and accountability.

The party says it will also build strong national capability to hold oil companies accountable, and to verify production and other expenditure, ensure that oil blocks are competitively tendered or auctioned, train Guyanese at every level to manage the sector and establish a model Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).