APNU floats alternative to PPP poverty reduction strategy

Jul 29, 2025 News

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…says Pres Ali’s plan is a mixture of failed measures

Kaieteur News – The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Coalition has criticised President Irfaan Ali’s plan to reduce poverty as a hodgepodge of failed measures and empty catchphrases.

The coalition said the plan is devoid of a credible development plan with specific targets, deadlines, and specific indicators of a high quality of life. “Not surprisingly, he offers no solutions to stem the rampant tide of corruption, financial mismanagement, and government incompetence that has wasted hundreds of billions of dollars of our oil revenues,” APNU said in a press release on Monday.

In a Facebook live on Sunday, the president said that the government recognises that addressing poverty must go beyond salaries and subsidies and must include systemic reform, driven by economic growth, a strengthened social safety net, and greater access to essential services. “If we are to address poverty and the cost of living, we must look at how we build and expand the economy while creating opportunities for the vulnerable,” President Ali was quoted in a Department of Public Information (DPI) report as saying. According to the DPI, Ali said over the past five years, the PPP/C Administration has reversed more than 200 taxes and has not introduced any new or increased levies on the population. The president described this tax rollback as key to maintaining disposable income and protecting low-income families. Further, he confirmed that the government will maintain this course over the next five years if reelected, with plans to simplify the tax system and further ease the burden on households and small businesses.

However, the APNU said as most Guyanese can attest, the last five years under the PPP have produced worsening living standards, high and rising cost of living, growing income and food poverty, and widespread national despair among citizens. “Irfaan Ali’s Facebook presentation clearly exposed the fact that the PPP has nothing new to offer.”

According to the APNU, in their people-centred development strategy, “we will eliminate poverty and boost living standards by the end of our first term by ensuring all Guyanese households get a livable income and all Guyanese workers earn a living wage. We will quantify and guarantee these outcomes through a range of policies and programs that will lead to higher employment and self-employment, increased wages, zero to low personal income taxes, cash transfers (including public assistance and school vouchers), subsidies for households (such as for utilities, rent, mortgage cooking gas, etc.), and higher returns for owners and investors in micro-to-large businesses. “

The coalition said, this higher amount of income in the hands of Guyanese, along with other facilitative policies, will produce a dynamic demand-driven economy that will lead to increasing and sustainable opportunities for Guyanese to earn more and achieve economic security. “We will use the occasion of our manifesto launch to restate the details of our plan. The APNU Coalition recognises that while eliminating poverty is a critical goal, our ultimate destination is to guarantee all Guyanese a high quality of life.  We will work, therefore, to establish a comprehensive social protection system, provide top-class social services, build better communities, create an opportunity society, promote equity and social justice, enhance good governance and ethnic relations, and meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this effort, we will expand the Bureau of Statistics to produce hard data to guide policy formulation and to measure progress,” the coalition said. It added that the quality of health care, must not be an abstract notion but must be quantified through such indicators as the number of patients per doctor or nurse, or the waiting time for treatment. “Guyanese have had enough of the PPP. No amount of pretentious speech-making by Irfaan Ali can save it from defeat on September 1,” the coalition asserted.

Meanwhile, the president also outlined some areas his administration will expand on if reelected. These include cutting electricity bills by 50 per cent. Beyond electricity, he noted that Guyanese can expect a significant reduction in the price of cooking gas as a result of the government’s gas-to-energy project.

The president also stated that there are no planned increases in the cost of water services and healthcare costs, particularly for dialysis, MRIs, cancer treatment, and maternity care. Job creation remains a top priority, and the part-time job programme, designed primarily for single mothers and low-income families, will also be expanded, with upskilling opportunities added to help workers earn more.

More importantly, President Ali announced that a development bank is also in the pipeline to help finance small and medium-sized enterprises. He revealed plans to co-invest in local businesses through grants and matching initiatives. President Ali said these measures are about “creating community wealth” and supporting the grassroots economy. Social safety nets will also expand to support women, children, persons living with disabilities, and single-parent households.

Public assistance will be expanded, and vulnerable families will receive much-needed support with dental care, vision, and transport without relying on their salaries. Moreover, President Ali made it clear that these policies are not short-term fixes, but are designed to address both immediate needs and long-standing structural issues. “Improving the quality of life means ensuring families can spend less on essential services and earn more through better jobs and support. It is about building a resilient and inclusive economy, one where every citizen can thrive,” he said. Combined, these initiatives will place more disposable income into the pockets of thousands of Guyanese.

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• APNU, Aubrey Norton, Irfaan Ali, Oil revenues, poverty, Poverty Reduction

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