By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
As Guyana prepares for the presentation of the 2026 National Budget on Monday, January 26, A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Parliamentary Leader, Dr. Terrence Campbell, has cautioned the government against prioritising scale over substance, insisting that people-centred policies must be at the core of this year’s fiscal plan.
Dr. Campbell made the remarks during a press conference on Friday at Congress Place, Sophia, as Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh prepares to deliver what is expected to be a significantly larger budget than previous years.
“Size is not substance,” Dr. Campbell said, arguing that a massive budget presentation risks becoming a public relations spectacle rather than a meaningful economic plan that improves the daily lives of ordinary Guyanese.
According to the APNU leader, the government is likely to place heavy emphasis on infrastructure development once again, but he questioned the feasibility, transparency, and long-term value of these capital projects. He contended that previous infrastructure initiatives have failed to translate into broad-based economic benefits.
“It is likely to be another budget focused on infrastructure, putting money into the hands of PPP elites, family members, friends, and favourites,” Dr. Campbell asserted.
Echoing similar concerns, APNU Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan criticised what he described as the government’s pattern of ceremonial project launches without a coherent development strategy.
“These infrastructural projects consistently tell a story of incompetence, underperformance, and neglect,” Duncan said.
APNU officials used the opportunity to highlight the party’s own manifesto proposals, which they say are grounded in people-focused development. These include a tax-free income threshold of $400,000 per month, graduated public service wage increases of up to 35 percent, an old-age pension of $100,000 per month, and monthly stipends of $50,000 for tertiary and technical education students.
Meanwhile, APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul expressed hope that the government would use the 2026 budget to address the plight of senior citizens. He pointed out that the current old-age pension stands at $41,000 per month, which he described as insufficient in the face of rising living costs.
As the nation awaits the budget presentation, APNU has reiterated its call for policies that directly improve household incomes, social security, and economic dignity, rather than headline-grabbing expenditure figures.
