Dear Editor,
Dr. Tilokie Depoo’s defense of Budget 2026 as a model of “Putting People First” reads more like a policy brochure than an economic analysis. He praises its social investments, wage increases, and cash transfers as proof of people-centred governance, but sidesteps the uncomfortable truth that the scale of the budget does not translate into equitable impact. That is the first anomaly: size is mistaken for substance. A trillion dollar budget means little if those who need relief most remain trapped in shrinking purchasing power and social stagnation.
The second anomaly lies in Dr. Depoo’s framing of wealth redistribution. He applauds the government’s spending on infrastructure and major projects as if their benefits automatically cascade down to households. In reality, this is where the Cantillon Effect quietly operates. Those positioned closest to the flow of new public expenditure — major contractors, developers, suppliers, and politically aligned intermediaries — absorb the first waves of wealth, enjoying price stability and expanding margins. By the time funds filter to ordinary citizens through wages or social transfers, inflation has already diluted their real value. The end result is “cash rich, purchase poor” — money in the hand but purchasing power lost.
The third anomaly is conceptual. Dr. Depoo equates expansive spending with social progress, but neglects how sequencing and distribution timing determine outcomes. Fiscal injections that reach the top first and the base last cannot logically be called “people first.” If the government truly intended to insulate households and communities, it would reverse the order of benefit — directing early, inflation‑protected disbursements to citizens, micro‑enterprises, and small producers before price levels adjust upward. That would make the “Putting People First” slogan credible.
Until then, the phrase remains an aspirational headline masking a structural imbalance — a system where the circle of privilege receives the first, strongest dose of stimulus, while the wider public settles for its weakened aftereffects. Dr. Depoo’s narrative conveniently overlooks this dynamic, producing a feel good script detached from the empirical realities of market behaviour and income decay. Budget 2026, in truth, is not about putting people first. It’s about keeping appearances intact. When the economic tide rises, it lifts the well‑anchored yachts before the small boats even feel the swell.