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Govt. yet to engage Opposition parties on 2026 budget
(Kaieteur News) – As preparations commence for Budget 2026, the Government of Guyana (GoG) is yet to engage Opposition parties for recommendations in crafting the fiscal plan.
Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton on Friday told reporters that while his party has not been engaged on the budget, he is certain that the skewed allocation of resources will continue.
APNU Leader, Aubrey Norton
He explained, “The fundamental problem we face is the skewed allocation of resources, into programs and projects that allow family, friends and favorites to get rich.”
Norton believes that a change in this pattern would be difficult, adding that this year’s budget is not likely to be produced on equity. According to him, this means, that those with less in the population would get less while those getting more are likely to benefit from more.
“They are going to continue down the same road that they have been going. And so, I can say to you, I didn’t expect them to consult us, because if they consult us, we will put to them the things we have in our manifesto, which is based on putting the people first,” the former Opposition Leader said.
Norton argued that while the government has a tendency of refusing to consult, it has been implementing a number of policies proposed by the party in its manifesto.
“A number of things they are doing now came from our manifesto and so, they have this tendency to reject what you see, or not comment on it, but then go and bring it under a different name or approach. I expect them to do that again,” he noted.
Further, he argued that the government lacks ideas and is instead focused on ensuring resources flow to themselves and associates.
To this end, he pointed out, “They can only become involved in meaningful consultation if they are prepared to make the changes, and to ensure that Guyana is governed in a way that the resources from Guyana go to a wide cross section of the Guyanese society.”
Norton is adamant that this year’s budget will not address poverty in a holistic manner, as this would not serve the interest of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He reasoned that a number of recommendations so far made by the party have been ignored by government. Consequently, he said, “I expect the same old budget.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Sharma Solomon pointed out that recent independent statistics point to an alarming 58% poverty rate in Guyana which speaks to the quality of the previous budgets presented by the government.
With government likely to produce yet another economic blueprint for the nation without consulting the opposition, Solomon said the plan is expected to continue benefitting only a portion of the population. He noted that the administration has already met with the private sector to seek their input while the opposition remains blanked from the process despite its representation of thousands of Guyanese.
In a brief telephone interview, Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party also confirmed that the group has not been consulted on crafting the fiscal plan.
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