WIN accuses Speaker of mismanagement

Nov 16, 2025 News

…says Parliament must not become a personal estate

(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s main parliamentary opposition – We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) is sounding the alarm over what it calls “a troubling pattern of mismanagement, political manipulation, and abuse of authority” within the Office of the Parliament, directly implicating Speaker Manzoor Nadir.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nandir

In a strongly worded statement titled: ‘Management of the Parliament of Guyana’ the Opposition outlined a series of allegations it says point to the erosion of transparency, staff welfare, and parliamentary integrity.

Firstly, WIN said, 2025 marks the fifth consecutive year in which the Office of the Parliament will not host a Christmas social for staff, with the explanation given that no funds are available. “From 2021 to 2024, the Speaker, Mr. Manzoor Nadir, allegedly insisted that the staff social be held at the Everest Cricket Club, which he serves as President. No consensus was reached on the venue proposed by the Speaker, and so the Office chose to issue Christmas hampers instead.

Now, in 2025, I have been reliably informed by several staff members that there will be no Christmas social or issuance of hampers. This raises serious questions about the allocation and use of funds budgeted for staff welfare,” WIN’s MP, Tabitha-Sarabo-Halley said in the statement.

Secondly, she said in addition to the political reasons that have contributed to the stalling of the election of the Leader of the Opposition, there also appears to be an attempt to avoid convening the meeting to redirect or retain the remaining 2025 funds allocated to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. “It is alleged that these funds are intended to be shifted to the Office of the Speaker in the absence of the office of the opposition leader. This, if true, represents a troubling manipulation of parliamentary processes for administrative or personal advantage,” Sarabo-Halley said.

Thirdly, she noted that this is the first time in three parliamentary cycles that Members of Parliament have not been issued laptops at the start of a new Parliament. Though the Office budgeted for the devices and the procurement process went to tender. “These allegations are serious and raise legitimate concerns about the responsible and transparent use of public funds, the prioritisation of personal interests over institutional integrity, the obstruction of parliamentary functions for reasons unrelated to governance, the welfare and fair treatment of parliamentary staff, and the ability of MPs to carry out their legislative responsibilities under such conditions.”

According to WIN, “now it has become clear why the PPP was happy with the tenure of the current speaker in the last parliament. Our Parliament must at all times reflect the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and fairness. Guyanese deserve a Parliament that operates above personal interest and political manipulation, and one that respects both its members and its staff.”

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mismanagement, opposition, parliamentary, Speaker, We Invest in Nationhood

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