Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said that no cash grant will be distributed before the September 1 elections.
“I can assure you there’ll be lots of cash grants after the election, but not before,” he stated during a press conference.
Jagdeo reminded that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had already committed to additional cash transfers as part of its 2025 manifesto. He assured citizens, “You know you’re going to get it. We’re not like any other party. We put it down there. You’re going to get it.”
With General and Regional Elections just weeks away, Jagdeo noted that there would still be time left in the year for these payouts. He said, “Remember, we still have the remainder of the year. It’s only September, and we have four more months after the elections.”
Last year, the PPP government rolled out a $100,000 cash grant for citizens aged 18 and older. Some 600,000 people received cheques, which were cashed at local banks.
However, Jagdeo explained that this time around, the process will be different—grants will be paid directly into citizens’ bank accounts. This, he said, could present a challenge for individuals on the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) List of Candidates, whose accounts were closed due to banks taking precautions, as the party’s leader is sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed.
For those individuals, and others without bank accounts, Jagdeo said the government may need to implement a system to facilitate direct cash payments.
Further, he stated that the PPP has been finalising its five-year plan, which includes new initiatives and projects. “We know what we have to spend on the capital budget for the next five years,” he said.
Jagdeo added that while the party is not relying solely on oil revenues to fund development, increased earnings from the sector would allow the government to do even more. It should be noted that for the 2025 national budget of $1.382 trillion, only 37% was funded by oil revenues.
“Everything we promised can be done even with a modest increase in oil revenue. And we anticipate a steep increase—but you can’t plan only for that, because what happens if oil prices fall? So we’re looking at all of these variables as we make a promise,” Jagdeo said.
