Dear Editor,
Undoubtedly, Budget 2026, as is, will continue to catalyse our development agenda, building on the enormous gains from the first term of our Government. The budget theme “Putting People First” was probably chosen because of past criticism that focus on infrastructure was taking priority over people. That’s a faulty argument. Infrastructure and people are not opposites; they are related. Infrastructure benefits people. All budgets have to do with the people, serving the interest of people, in one way or the other. Scholarships, health care, housing, free education, cash grants, social services, agricultural projects, cleaning of villages and the city by the Regional Ministry are also about the development of people. More bridges, roads, airstrips, ferries, modern government offices, digitization, are all for the benefit of our people.
Listening to the budget debates, I did not hear anyone say anything about slashing the budget. What I heard was that enough was not being done in some areas, and that’s OK to point out. Which MP would say don’t build that road in my village or we don’t need that new bridge, hospital or school? None of them has said that or will ever say that. But several have rightly called for better monitoring for quality and efficiency, which I am sure the Government shares those concerns. Watching the President, his style is to modernize the country as fast as possible. He is impatient when things don’t move quickly. The President visits job sites incessantly to monitor work progress. He is not a stay-in-the office person.
His Ministers have to keep up with him and his desire for transformation, and get with the programme. On the other hand, we expect the Opposition to be vigilant and keep the Government on its toes to make sure there is transparency, accountability, quality, and equitable development across all regions. We must be vigilant against infrastructural development fuelling wrongdoing by those involved in project approvals and monitoring. We, the people, expect all parties in Parliament to work together to make life better for all the people in an equitable manner. In the big things such as scholarships, house lots, and health care, etc., the Government has ensured equal opportunities for all.
Guyana belongs to all of us. A hole in the boat is a hole in the whole boat. The budget is excellent but please do a little more for the vulnerable. I have made a stirring plea for increases in the minimum wage of the working poor, salary increases for Government workers on the lower end of the scale, Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) and for the Government to fix the problem of NIS records being mostly inaccurate. Our MPs must support this call, especially in the case of ongoing failures of the NIS. Our workers deserve all the support they can get!