Dear Editor,
As the nation prepares for the Hon. Dr. Ashni Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance to deliver the budget presentation on Monday January 26, 2026, we are looking forward to seeing in the 2026 budget, an increased stipend and funded offices for Members of Parliament (MPs). The ‘Building Our Dream Guyana Movement’ is once again urging the government to give serious consideration to an increase in the monthly stipend for Members of Parliament and budgeting for financial resources for offices for MPs in their constituencies. The 2026 budget we are certain, will be over one trillion Guyana dollars again, additionally, in November, 2025, our oil production reached a milestone of 900,000 barrels per day and we cannot, should not, and ought not to have our Members of Parliament only getting a stipend of G$200,000 (US$1,000.00) or close to that amount.
‘Building Our Dream Movement’ is recommending that Budget 2026 include the sum of five hundred thousand dollars (G$500,000.00) as the monthly stipend for parliamentarians from 2026. In addition to an increase in stipend to $500,000.00 for MPs, we are proposing that the government facilitates parliamentary offices for Opposition MPs, in their constituencies. We propose that the draft structure and budget be as follows. Each Opposition Member of Parliament could have an office with two staff members, maybe a Secretary/Finance Officer and a Community Development Officer/Outreach Officer. The monthly salary for the Secretary/Finance Officer could be G$160.000.00 and for the Community Development/Outreach Officer G$200.000.00; rent for office G$200.000.00; office supplies, utilities, and other expenses G$140,000.00 monthly; which will amount to G$700,000.00 per month by twenty-nine parliamentarians with a total of G$20,300.000, and annually, G$243,600,000. Therefore, an increase of G$500,000.00 stipend per month for sixty-five parliamentarians with an annual total of G$390,000.000 and the annual budget for the operations of parliamentary offices for Opposition MPs at G$243,600,000, will cost G$633,600.000, annually.
Members of Parliament need resources from the state, through the government to effectively contribute and to strengthening good governance in our oil-rich country, the institution of parliament, and representation of their constituencies. There is a great need for MPs to have a more proactive approach to problem solving and finding solutions for members of their constituencies and upgrading and giving greater effect to the functionality of our systems of governance, particularly since Guyana is now an oil and gas producing and a high-income country. Also importantly, this will translate into a more robust and functional parliamentary system and tremendously improve governance in constituencies across all ten regions.
President Ali’s government has a marvelous opportunity in Budget 2026, to do something that no other government has done before, that is, broaden the scope of good governance, show magnanimity and really make some structural changes to the scope of representation for the sixty-five parliamentarians.