HGP Nightly News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says Guyanese are hearing plenty about billion-dollar oil earnings and trillion-dollar budgets but are not feeling enough of that wealth in their homes, wages and communities.
Responding on Wednesday to President Irfaan Ali’s latest press conference, Mohamed accused the government of consulting the opposition and seeking expert advice only after political or public pressure builds.
“The PPP consults when it is forced to consult,” Mohamed charged.
His criticism followed Ali’s statement that he would engage the Opposition Leader whenever consultation was required under Guyana’s Constitution.
Mohamed argued that political engagement should not be confined to constitutional appointments. He said the government should also consult the parliamentary opposition on oil and gas, national development and other major policy decisions.
The consultation issue has attracted greater attention since Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood emerged from the 2025 elections as the main parliamentary opposition with 16 seats.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall has disputed claims that Ali is avoiding constitutional engagement.
Nandlall said three letters were sent to Mohamed on July 24 to begin consultations concerning the Judicial Service Commission, Public Service Commission and Local Government Commission.
According to the Attorney General, Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley subsequently submitted three names concerning the Local Government Commission but only acknowledged receipt of the other two letters.
That correspondence concerns appointments for which consultation is legally required. Mohamed’s broader criticism is that engagement should also occur on national policies even when the Constitution does not compel it.
The Opposition Leader also criticised Ali’s stated intention to seek additional expert advice on Guyana’s oil and gas sector.
“That is the problem, always after the fact,” Mohamed said.
He argued that the country should have been building the necessary expertise, institutions and oversight systems long before petroleum revenues reached their current level.
“Guyana has been producing oil for years. Where was the preparedness? Where was the expertise? Where were the systems?” he asked.
Mohamed also questioned how much of the country’s petroleum wealth is reaching ordinary citizens.
He claimed that with oil priced at US$80 per barrel, Guyana receives approximately G$6.3 billion daily.
The Opposition Leader did not provide his calculation or explain whether that figure represented gross production value, government revenue, profit oil, royalties or another measurement.
Actual daily receipts can vary because of production levels, oil prices, cost-recovery arrangements, cargo schedules and Guyana’s share under the governing petroleum agreement. Mohamed’s figure therefore requires supporting calculations before it can be independently assessed.
He also predicted that Guyana could unveil a national budget of approximately G$2 trillion early next year.
“Brace yourselves for a G$2 trillion budget early next year, while more than half of Guyanese continue to live in poverty,” Mohamed said.
The government has not yet announced the size of the next national budget. Mohamed also did not identify the poverty study or year supporting his “more than half” claim, which should be treated as his assertion rather than a confirmed current statistic.
His wider argument was that economic success should not be judged solely by the size of the budget, petroleum production or government revenue.
“People must not just hear about the trillions,” Mohamed said. “They must feel it.”
The government has pointed to cash grants, increased pensions, infrastructure, housing, education, healthcare and other programmes as evidence that petroleum revenues are being used to improve living standards.
Mohamed maintained, however, that high prices and persistent household hardship show that the benefits are not being distributed widely or quickly enough.
His challenge to the administration is therefore twofold: open national decision-making to broader opposition input and demonstrate Guyana’s oil wealth through measurable improvements in citizens’ everyday lives.
