Bond bats big for bonanza to students

FORMER People’s National Congress (PNC) legislator Attorney-at-law James Bond is batting
for the government’s ‘Because We Care’ multi-billion-dollar cash grant targeting some 172,000
public sector learners.
Some opposition politicians have castigated the scheme as another ‘gravy train’ of the incumbent
Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) coalition, reminiscent of the Old Age Pension used as a
‘cash cow’ for successive administrations which ruled uninterrupted between October 1992 and
May 2015.
However, Bond in a social media post, justifies this government initiative.
“I am not saying that people shouldn’t criticise certain things, everybody has a right to criticise
certain things. But if there are going to be…cash grants to kids…I wouldn’t criticize cash grants
to kids,” Bond declared.
Some social media activists interpreted Bond’s public embrace of the ‘Because We Care’
initiative as an exploratory first step in political backing of the arch-foe of his A Partnership for
National Unity, Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition before eventually fleeing his party.
The Attorney has a different view according to his social media post.
“Everybody can’t be in the PPP; they have their people. I think I have a role to play in the PNC
and so that is why I ride with the PNC. I know you ‘never say never’ when it comes to politics,
but I don’t see a need for me in the PPP Civic. What am I going to do in the PPP Civic? What am
I going to do? I am a man that like to speak my mind…as at the end of the day I must maintain
my independence,” he said.
“I don’t see myself serving. I ain’t going to be no ass-kisser…I ain’t sucking up to nobody. I am
not that kind of person, the PPPC is good without James Bond, the PPP don’t need James Bond
and vice versa. It’s like that kind of thing,” the usually out-spoken young lawyer explained.

“I don’t see myself serving that role and I don’t see the PPP Civic saying that they need a James
Bond, nah they got lawyers, they got professionals they got their people there so I good,” he
reiterated.
Bond resurfaced from an extended period of social media hibernation to bat for the Irfaan Ally
administration’s G$3.2B (approx. US$15M) national scheme gifting each student across the
country $15,000 plus $4,000 in cash as School Uniform and Supplies Grants.
The government forecasts annual incremental increases to the two elements of the ‘Because We
Care’ novelty until it reaches $50,000 (US$250.00). The School Uniform and Supplies Grant has
doubled from $2000 last year to $4000 this year.
Bonds hiatus from social media was to rejuvenate, reflect and nullify negativity.
“I am seeing things differently now. I am trying to analyze things more objectively…so if the
kids are going to benefit from taxpayers’ money, yeah, so be it. I mean nobody is saying that the
PPP Civic…are honest and that they are not corrupt. What I am saying (is) you can’t really
knock a government that gives money to kids because, if it were the coalition government in
there and they were giving the money to the kids, I would have been supportive of it,” Bond
reiterated.
After some decade expending his time, resources and support on the APNU+AFC. Bond has
decided to focus more on himself. He was inexplicably dropped as a legislator after the
APNU+AFC won the 2015 polls, offered no government post, and discarded when the party lost
the 2020 elections.
Then in November 2020, he was arrested by the police as they probed allegations into the award
of state lands at Peters Hall on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) corridor.
In his latest social media post, he admitted his disillusion because of non-support he
continues to receive from several APNU+AFC leaders.
Bond vowed to stand by those who stand with him.