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Govt. broken promises a ‘slap in the face’ – APNU
(Kaieteur News) – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has accused the Government of Guyana of engaging in deceptive electioneering and failing to deliver on commitments made to citizens, regarding the Christmas cash grant.
Speaking at an APNU press conference on Friday, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Terrence Campbell criticised President Irfaan Ali’s announcement that a $100,000 cash grant for every Guyanese citizen aged 18 years will be done in 2026.
Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Terrence Campbell
He said the president’s announcement on Wednesday differs from his previous comments on the 2025 campaign trail. “I heard PM [Prime Minister] told them next year is the next grant. If you behave yourself, you get it this year…We will have a beautiful Christmas. Look at the smile on my face and know that you will have enjoyable holiday,” the president said in the lead up to the September 1, general and regional elections.
Public expectations had been heightened following comments made by Ali during the election campaign. For his part, Dr. Campbell stated that the cash transfer comes on the back of a significant abuse of electioneering.
“The transfer was promised before Christmas in a most demeaning gimmick. We hope voters understand how trivial small man issues are to this government,” he noted.
The opposition MP argued that the administration’s approach reflects a wider pattern of heavy state spending without delivering tangible relief to citizens. He contrasted the government’s policy direction with that of APNU, outlining what he said would be a fundamentally different approach to social support if the coalition were returned to office.
On Thursday, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at his press conference sought to explain that President Ali’s earlier promise of a “bright Christmas,” was based on citizens behaving ‘good’ and was not a firm commitment to a 2025 Christmas cash grant.
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 … 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…”
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, it 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.”
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