Georgetown, Guyana – October 1, 2025 – The feud over how Guyana’s oil wealth should be distributed reached a boiling point today, as Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and APNU executive Sherod Duncan launched a furious counter-attack against Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat. Duncan specifically took aim at Bharrat’s earlier claim that cash grants would leave Guyana poorer, asserting that the remark “insults every pensioner, every parent, every worker who relied on those grants.”
Speaking sharply, Duncan claimed the comment exposes how “out of touch” the government is with the daily struggles of its citizens, particularly amid a crippling cost-of-living crisis. He noted that food prices have allegedly climbed by nearly 50% in the last three years alone, leaving countless families struggling desperately to manage basic necessities like rent, transportation, and groceries. While Duncan acknowledged that programs like pensions and school grants have eased burdens, he argued that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is “playing politics with a very lifeline that helps people survive.”
Duncan’s central argument was that “Cash grants should be a lifeline, not a gimmick.” He alleged that the administration is acting dishonestly by failing to build a reliable, permanent framework for aid. Instead, he claimed, grants are “dangled before elections, then dismiss[ed] after.”
The Opposition MP then accused the administration of hypocrisy regarding its own campaign promises. He asserted, “You cannot promise $200,000 per person on the campaign trail and then tell people it was bad policy when in office.” Duncan stressed that APNU’s position remains clear: grants are necessary, but they must be targeted, transparent, and paired with broader, long-term solutions like better wages, fair taxes, and aggressive job creation. Ultimately, he claimed, Guyana’s oil revenues must be used to fight the current cost-of-living crisis, and not to fuel political promises. Duncan concluded by promising that APNU “will continue to fight for relief for today and security for tomorrow,” emphasizing that for the Opposition, it is always “about people first.”
