By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News|
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, has launched a sharp critique of the Government’s 2026 National Budget, arguing that the $1.558 trillion spending plan will worsen poverty and intensify the cost-of-living crisis for ordinary Guyanese.
Speaking at a party press conference on Friday, Norton accused the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of appropriating the opposition’s “Putting People First” campaign slogan while failing to translate the concept into meaningful budgetary provisions.
According to Norton, the budget lacks adequate measures to address high living costs, persistent poverty, the need for a livable income, and, as he put it, the absence of a robust anti-corruption framework. He contended that, despite repeated assurances from the administration, the 2026 estimates do not include concrete mechanisms to curb wastage, incompetence, or corruption.
The opposition has also raised concerns about spending priorities, noting that approximately 50.04 percent of the national budget is allocated to infrastructure development. Norton and the APNU coalition argue that such heavy infrastructure spending has historically been associated with inefficiency and misuse of public funds, while direct support for citizens remains limited.
On the issue of wages, Norton criticised the Government’s proposed 9 percent increase for public servants, describing it as insufficient given current economic pressures. The opposition has instead called for a minimum 25 percent wage increase to provide meaningful relief to workers.
Social assistance measures also came under fire, with Norton pointing to what he described as marginal increases in public support. He noted that public assistance payments were increased by $3,000 to $25,000 per month, an adjustment the opposition deems inadequate given rising food, utility, and transportation costs. The APNU coalition has pledged that, if in government, it would increase public assistance to $44,000 per month.
Further criticism was directed at allocations to vulnerable groups, which Norton described as disproportionately small relative to overall expenditure. He claimed that less than seven cents of every budget dollar is directed toward direct benefits for citizens.
The PNCR leader maintained that genuine people-centred development requires stronger social investment, fair wages, and targeted support to cushion households against rising living costs. He concluded that, without these measures, the 2026 National Budget risks widening inequality rather than improving the standard of living for most Guyanese.
