Dear Editor,
It is quite something to read online that, by GDP per capita, Guyana is now ranked as the 9th richest country in the world. This newfound status sits rather awkwardly alongside the opposition’s planned protest for a modest $150,000 (approximately US$750) one-off grant per adult, and the government’s continued resistance to even this limited measure.
If our GDP per capita truly exceeds US$33,000, then the national conversation should arguably be about sustained and meaningful support to households—figures in the realm of US$5,000 per month per household would not seem outrageous in such a context—rather than quibbling over a single US$750 payment. Yet, the Guyanese public is asked to be content with symbolic relief while being told we are part of an elite club of wealthy nations.
I grew up with the saying that we had a donkey-cart economy and Cadillac spending habits. Today, the situation appears reversed: we have a Cadillac economy (on paper anyway), but operate with donkey-cart vision.