Urgent questions on unimplemented $19B salary increase

Dear Editor,

I write on this final day of the 2025 fiscal year with profound concern and on behalf of countless public servants across Guyana. This letter seeks urgent clarification on a matter of critical national importance: the non-implementation of the salary increases for public servants, for which a sum of $19 Billion (G$19,000,000,000) was expressly earmarked, debated, and approved within the 2025 National Budget.

As you are acutely aware, the national budget is a solemn covenant between the State and its citizens. The specific allocation of $19B for “increased remuneration and benefits” for public sector employees was a pivotal commitment. It was presented to the National Assembly and the people of Guyana as a necessary measure to improve the livelihoods of those who serve our nation, to combat the cost of living, and to retain skilled personnel within the government’s employ.

It is therefore a source of grave dismay and financial hardship that, as of December 31, 2025, this mandated increase has not been affected. Public servants—teachers, nurses, police officers, clerks, and civil servants at every level—have concluded the year having budgeted on a promise that remains unfulfilled. This failure has tangible consequences, eroding trust, diminishing morale, and undermining the very social contract that enables effective governance.

In light of this serious deviation from the approved national 2025 expenditure, and in the interest of fiscal transparency and constitutional propriety, I, and the public, request explicit answers to the following questions:

1. What were the precise, substantive reasons for the non-disbursement of the allocated $19B for public servant salary increases in 2025? A detailed, technical explanation beyond generalities, specifying the administrative, legal, or policy impediments that caused this failure will be most welcome.
2. What is the current and final status of the unused $19B allocation? Given that the purpose for which this money was appropriated has not been met, the fundamental principles of public financial management dictate that these funds must be redeposited into the Consolidated Fund as unspent expenditure, in accordance with the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA).
3. If the funds are to be redeposited, what is the specific timeline for this transaction? We are requesting information to the exact date by which this redeposit will be completed?
4. How will this be accounted for and made visible to the public? Will the redeposit of this $19B be:

• Evidenced by an official receipt or transaction advice from the Bank of Guyana to the Ministry of Finance, a copy of which will be made public?
• Clearly reflected as a receipt in the Audited Financial Statements of the Government of Guyana for 2025 to be presented by the Auditor General?
• Explicitly accounted for in the upcoming 2026 Budget Estimates as a prior-year balance available in the Consolidated Fund, ensuring it is not lost or re-appropriated without fresh parliamentary approval?

The people of Guyana, and particularly our dedicated public servants, deserve unambiguous answers. The handling of this $19B is a test of the government’s commitment to accountability. Failure to return these funds to the Consolidated Fund would represent a severe breach of fiduciary duty and an effective diversion of resources approved by Parliament for a specific, unmet purpose.

I, and the public, await your prompt and detailed written response, to be made public, so that this affair may be resolved with the transparency and urgency it demands.