Latest update January 28th, 2026 12:35 AM
‘This budget is not for you’ …Mohamed tells Guyanese about Govt’s $1.558T spending plan
(Kaieteur News) – Newly appointed Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, has launched a sharp attack on the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government’s proposed $1.558 trillion national budget, accusing the administration of failing to address the needs of ordinary Guyanese while enriching political allies.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mohamed revealed that he remained seated in the National Assembly for more than six hours during the budget presentation on Monday, describing the move as symbolic of his long-term commitment to his new role. “Yesterday (Monday) I sat in Parliament for six hours and thirty-seven minutes unmoved to send a clear message: as Leader of the Opposition, I am committed to this role for the long haul,” Mohamed said.
Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed said he sat in Parliament for six hours and thirty-seven minutes unmoved.
He maintained that the budget, despite promises made by the PPP during the last election campaign, offers “almost nothing for the common man.” According to Mohamed, what he witnessed during the parliamentary sitting was “troubling,” and he charged that the financial plan was not crafted with citizens’ welfare in mind. “This budget was not crafted for the people of Guyana; it was designed to further enrich those connected to the PPP,” he stated.
The opposition leader further pointed to what he described as worsening living conditions, noting that rising costs and widespread poverty remain major concerns. “It is sad that the government has chosen not to prioritise the people at such a critical time, when 58 percent of Guyanese live in poverty and the cost of living has skyrocketed,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed also signaled that his party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), will intensify scrutiny of the government’s spending plans during the budget debate. “WIN will continue to provide oversight and hold them accountable. Over the coming days, during our budget presentations, we will expose the gaps, inconsistencies and misplaced priorities within this budget,” he warned.
Looking ahead to the next general elections, Mohamed urged citizens to become more politically engaged, emphasising the importance of voter participation. “Change will only come when we, together, decide that enough is enough. Your voice matters, and every single vote counts,” he said, encouraging Guyanese not to stay away from the polls. “This budget is not for you. This is another one for them,” Mohamed added.
Transformative
However, in defending the administration’s spending plan, Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh said it is firmly grounded in the PPP/C’s elections 2025 Manifesto. “Budget 2026 is entirely and fundamentally about the Guyanese People. At its core, throughout all of its policies, programmes, projects, and initiatives are choices aimed at ensuring that the interests of the Guyanese People all of the Guyanese People are protected and served,” Dr Singh said. He said in particular, its aim is to ensure that everything that “we do as a government, results in an identifiable improvement in Guyanese lives or in an identifiable creation of opportunity for Guyanese nationals. This is the litmus test of all we do as a government.”
Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh
Dr. Singh said too that the budget prioritises investments that directly promote economic growth, accelerate the transformation of our country, enhance human capital, and improve social wellbeing. “It supports an education and training system that equips our children and young people with relevant skills for a modern, diversified economy; a health system that is more accessible, resilient, and responsive; and social protection mechanisms that provide dignity, security, and support for the most vulnerable among us. These are not expenditures of convenience, they are investments in productivity, resilience, and a better Guyana, a Guyana where all can prosper, and a Guyana where ability and effort are rewarded. As I said before, this is the Guyana we are building.”
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- Ashni Singh, Azruddin Mohamed, National Budget, PPP, spending plan, trillion, We Invest in Nationhood
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