Latest update February 16th, 2026 12:30 AM
Pres. Ali cash grant promise for Christmas was based on citizens “being good” – Jagdeo
…defends not raising cash grant from $100k
(Kaieteur News) – General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has come out to explain President Irfaan Ali’s earlier promise of a “bright Christmas,” saying this was based on citizens behaving ‘good’ and was not a firm commitment to a 2025 Christmas cash grant.
Jagdeo made the comments during his press conference on Thursday at Freedom House, Georgetown, one day after President Ali’s national address in which he announced that provisions will be made in the 2026 national budget for a $100,000 cash grant for every Guyanese citizen aged 18 years and older. The announcement confirmed that there will be no cash grant payout for this Christmas, disappointing thousands of Guyanese who had anticipated the cash distribution based on the president’s earlier remarks.
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo
Holding up the PPP’s 2025 manifesto, Jagdeo said the document clearly represents the administration’s contract with the people. He noted, “And by the way, this manifesto did not say in this manifesto here, it didn’t say cash grant before Christmas…the president I recall at Eccles, you know the PM was saying next year you’ll get your cash grant and the president said if you are good people it may happen this year jocularly….”
Public expectations had been heightened by comments made by Ali during the election campaign earlier this year. In an August 2025 campaign speech, the president hinted that Guyanese could receive another cash grant before year-end if the PPP was re-elected at the September 1 General and Regional Elections. Under the first Irfaan Ali-led administration, a $100,000 cash grant for citizens aged 18 and older was introduced in 2024 and continued into early 2025, benefitting more than 600,000 Guyanese.
Addressing questions about why the cash grant remains at $100,000, Jagdeo said the payout next year will amount to $63 billion, which he noted exceeds the entire national revenue when he began his second term as president.
“That’s the magnitude of it…this is our manifesto here, its speaks to cash grants here but it did say before Christmas and in fact how can you do it before Christmas, it took us five months the last time to get it implemented, you know how many people tried to rip off the system the last time…we don’t even have a budgetary provision for it you have to go to parliament to get a budgetary provision…,” Jagdeo stated.
Responding to concerns from ordinary citizens that $100,000 is too little and should be increased, Jagdeo said, “Everybody would say, I might say it myself, it’s too little if I want money too, everybody wants money….”
He added that governance cannot be centred solely on cash grants, noting, “…you don’t manage for cash grants alone and if we only allow that mindset some people just waiting for that, for everything, cash grant, you gotta earn too.”
Jagdeo further reminded that oil revenues account for only 37% of the national budget, stressing that even half of government spending cannot be financed from oil proceeds alone. “So where is the rest of the money gonna come from?” he asked. He explained that the government’s five-year plan will be financed through a mix of oil revenues, non-oil revenues and borrowing.
Reiterating that the cash grant will be available next year and in the future, Jagdeo said, “We are not only operating alone for Christmas 2025.”
During the campaign, Ali had said, “We will have a beautiful Christmas. Look at the smile on my face and know that you will have an enjoyable holiday.” Since then, many citizens had been anticipating confirmation of a Christmas payout. However, despite earlier assurances of a “bright and happy Christmas,” no cash grant for adult citizens will be paid during the holiday season. Opposition parties, including We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have publicly called on the PPP/C government to honour what they described as a promise to deliver a Christmas cash grant.
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