Lashing out at the Irfaan Ali Administration for not consulting the Opposition on the 2025 Budget, Opposition firebrand, Ganesh Mahipaul, told the National Assembly this morning that the President cannot speak of a united Guyana, while actively excluding the opposition from meaningful participation.

He said the divisive political tactics employed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government are evident throughout the country, with thousands of Guyanese being sidelined.

According to Mahipaul, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash grants have been doled out to supporters of the Government to open and expand their small businesses, while other communities are kept in economic stagnation with no financial assistance.

“Why is it that places like Den Amstel, Bagotville, Uitvlugt, Stewartville, Sister’s village, and so many others not in receipt of the same treatment as places like Wakenaam, Leguan, Tuschen, Parika and Leonora? Village shops exist in these Afro-Guyanese communities too but the owners of shops in those communities never in the last four years got any cash grant to help them economically. Why is it that hundreds of thousands of dollars in assistance were given to cash crop farmers who look like me and suffered by way of flooding but thousands who look like Honourable Ministers Todd, Benn, Edghill, Walrond and McCoy are still begging for a small piece?” MP Mahipaul questioned.

He argued that ordinary, poor, hardworking Indo-Guyanese, including fisherfolk, are equally awaiting their assistance.

Guyanese, he said, are not experiencing “One Guyana” but rather “two Guyanas”  in a case of the “rich versus the poor, the connected versus the neglected, the friends, family, and favorites of the PPP/C versus the rest of the country”.

MP Mahipaul told the House that while building roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects are necessary, the Government is guilty of mismanaging the country’s financial resources, and the very projects it often boasts about.

He said the 5:30am meeting called by the President to scold contractors and Government officials about extensive delays experienced in the execution of projects, was nothing but a sham. He said there continues to be an abuse of the procurement system.

“We will not engage in empty rhetoric, making public promises of accountability while secretly socializing with those who should be held responsible. Unlike this current government, we will not call for early in the morning 5:30 meetings to stage a performance on accountability, only to let matters languish months after. We refuse to paint a Shakespearian display of concern for accountability while nothing tangible is ever done. It has been years now since the Metem-Meer Zorg, Charity, Pouderyoen, Belle View, Blackbush Polder pump stations amounting to billions of dollars where millions upon millions were already paid to contractors and several other critical infrastructure but remain incomplete and in many cases work at the sites are stagnant, but do we see anyone, more precisely, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha being held accountable? The 5:30 meeting was a sham Mr. Speaker,” he said.

The Opposition Member said a number of contractors have been awarded contracts though not being the lowest responsive bidder, and were later been found to be incapable of executing the projects.

He said it is time for Guyana to adopt a governance approach rooted in transparency, accountability, and genuine unity for the sake of the present and future generations.

“The current crop of APNUAFC leaders is committed to leading with unwavering transparency, accountability, and a genuine sense of unity. I am confident in this assurance, particularly considering our current stance on the composition of the National and Regional Tender Boards of this nation. It is our strong conviction that there must be an opposition representative on all tender boards—where billions of dollars flow through daily—if we are to ensure the highest standards of transparency. The presence of the opposition on these boards would reduce suspicion of misconduct and the pilfering of the people’s money, as their oversight will contribute to fairness and vigilance,” he argued.

Additionally, Mr. Mahipaul said an APNU led administration will strengthen the Auditor General’s office to allow for greater oversight of Government’s expenditure.

He said at a time when Guyana stands on the brink of unprecedented economic growth, it is important to move beyond the political and economic stagnation of the past.

Noting that Guyana can no longer be described as a poor, third-world country, MP Mahipaul said the country now has the resources to rewrite its story.

He said it’s a story that requires bold leadership, mature decision-making, and a commitment to inclusivity and equity.

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