Today during the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Annual Christmas Luncheon President Irfaan Ali announced the reinstitution of the GDF’s one-month annual bonus. The Commander in Chief told those gathered, “As you know, we had some difficult years when your one-month annual bonus was taken away. “In keeping with our commitment to our men and women in uniform, again, I wish to announce your one-month bonus for this year.”
It was some days earlier during his announcement of salary adjustments for Privates, Recruits, Acting Corporals, and Corporals said he said he wanted to work with the Joint Services “to ensure that you have home ownership and to reduce the bureaucracy and the time and all the complexities surrounding how our men and women in uniform obtained a loan.”
“We have been able to negotiate with three commercial banks and the New Building Society interest rates of 3.5% of loans below four million, and 3.75% of loans below eight million.” He noted that for those persons who have already been allocated their land, not only will they benefit from the low-income interest rates, but they will benefit from the steel and cement that will be input from the government to move them towards home ownership.
“As we assured you, before the end of this year, we wanted all of you who have your own land to be signed up for the banks and sign up under the Home Support Program, and on the 28th of this month (December), right here, all those of you who have been allocated land will come here. The banks will come right here. We will help you with the design, and the plans for your home free of cost. You will get the cement and the steel for the foundation,” the President told those gathered.
This will be across the board for all men and women in uniform, in the joint services. “We’re not building a divided Guyana. We are building a singular Guyana in which the aspirations of every Guyanese must be realized. But it would only be realized with our personal and collective commitment to our country and our community, the Head of State said.
