HGP Nightly News – Young Guyanese are earning qualifications, gaining experience and working full-time—yet many still cannot afford decent housing, a vehicle or enough savings to start a business, APNU has argued.
At the party’s August 21 press conference, attorney Ronald Daniels said Guyana’s unprecedented economic expansion had not translated into financial independence for many young adults.
“A young professional should not have to earn a degree, accumulate experience and work full-time only to remain financially incapable of renting a decent home, purchasing property, starting a business or supporting a family,” Daniels said.
He argued that the country’s progress should not be measured solely by gross domestic product, oil production, national budgets and government revenue.
Wages, purchasing power and citizens’ ability to afford essential goods must also form part of that assessment, he said.
According to Daniels, the prices of food, rent, transportation, home construction and vehicles have increased, while many salaries leave workers with little money for savings or investment after covering their monthly expenses.
He maintained that educated and employed young people should be able to establish households, support their families and accumulate assets without depending indefinitely on relatives or additional jobs.
APNU moderator Shaneika Haynes said even two-income households were struggling to pay rent, purchase groceries and meet other recurring expenses.
She argued that the government’s parliamentary majority and growing revenue give it the capacity to introduce measures that increase disposable income.
Among the proposals raised was another increase in public-sector wages.
Activist Michael Richmond said workers such as nurses and teachers were receiving salaries insufficient to meet the current cost of living.
He warned that Guyana would continue losing skilled young workers overseas if qualified professionals could not achieve reasonable living standards at home.
The speakers also connected the cost-of-living debate to employment opportunities.
They said some graduates remain unable to obtain jobs matching their training, while others accept positions outside their professions because suitable vacancies are unavailable or recruitment processes lack transparency.
Daniels said strong macroeconomic figures must translate into “real, livable and developmental circumstances” for citizens.
APNU called for wages that more closely reflect living costs and worker productivity, expanded access to affordable housing and financing, and greater transparency in employment.
The party did not present specific salary, rent or food-price data during the remarks provided. It also did not identify the wage increase it believes the government should implement or calculate the cost of its proposals.
The government has pointed to public-sector salary increases, cash grants, tax reductions, housing programmes, education support and subsidies as evidence that citizens are benefiting from rising national revenue.
President Irfaan Ali has acknowledged, however, that grants alone cannot solve the cost-of-living problem and has called for greater attention to production, transportation and mark-ups along the supply chain.
APNU maintained that the ultimate test of Guyana’s oil-driven development is whether citizens can feel the country’s wealth in their everyday lives.
The party said young Guyanese should be able to remain at home, work in the fields for which they were trained, earn adequate incomes, purchase homes and build businesses.
The government cannot continue celebrating expanding national wealth without answering “how that wealth is changing the lives of young Guyanese,” Daniels argued.
