Between jeers from the Government side and cheers from his fellow party members in the Opposition, Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, slammed the 2026 National Budget as having very little for the ordinary Guyanese and more for friends and family of the PPP/Civic Government.
He said while the Budget is the largest in the country’s history, the outcomes might not all be positive.
“The Government wants the nation to believe that because the budget is the largest in our history it will automatically produce the best outcomes, but bigger budgets do not equal better lives”, Mohamed said.
He said families are still struggling across the country and the budget does not contain solid measures to assist them, adding that public servants and front line workers have been left out completely from any significant budget measure.
“We must ask ourselves, how callous are the members on the opposite side of the House to stand so boldfaced in this Chamber and present the biggest budget in the history of this country while more than half lives in poverty. And there is little to nothing to cushion the cost of living, or to ensure the people of this country can live better lives”, the Opposition Leader said.
During his Budget contribution, Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira brought it to the attention of the Speaker that the Opposition Leader was reading his contribution to the Budget Debates and that was against the Standing Orders.
Mr. Mohamed continued to read his speech as the Government side heckled him continuously, with his party members defending him through their response.
The Opposition Leader said he does not seem himself in the National Assembly as one to criticise without offering solutions.
“What this Budget is designed to do is to have big numbers on paper and then in dark rooms, billions of dollars are siphoned off for kickbacks”, he said, while adding that as Opposition Leader, he will continue to highlight and expose and scrutinize public spending. We will pay attention to how taxpayers’ dollars are spent and come next elections, you will be out of office”, the Opposition Leader told the House.
In the energy sector, the Opposition Leader told Prime Minister Mark Phillips that he has failed “big time with GPL”, as the country continues to still face daily blackouts.
“Just now residents called from Region Six to say blackout, while you were speaking. Despite forty something billion dollars a year for the power ships, for the rental every month and the fuel, forty something billion dollars. When those power ships decide to leave, what happens?” Mohamed questioned.
Turning his attention to the gold mining sector, Mr. Mohamed noted the decline in declarations, and told the National Assembly that the declarations were much higher when he was involved in the business.
Mohamed and his father are owners of one of the largest gold dealerships in the country. However, they were both sanctioned by the US Government for alleged gold under declarations and tax evasion related to gold exports, resulting in their gold dealership licenses being yanked locally.
Still, he questioned the state of the gold mining sector and also questioned the unavailability of foreign currency at the local commercial banks.
“If you go to the banks for a US$20,000 wire transfer, you have to wait two and three weeks, but when I was in operation, the banks would call me midnight to ensure they get a couple million US for the next day”, he told the House.
The Opposition Leader also told the National Assembly that he “bankrolled” the PPP before he got into politics, pointing out that many of the problems he now faces is as a result of his political choices.
He also accused the Government of shutting out small miners in the gold mining sector, although they have served as the backbone of the industry for several years.
Focusing briefly on public infrastructure, Mohamed said although the Government continues to spend billions of dollars on the roads, almost weekly persons are highlighting the state of roads in Guyana. He claims that contractors have found themselves paying kickbacks and there is no maintenance of the roads.
Mohamed said the budget carries the theme of “Putting People First” and is really focused on “Putting People Last”. He said the country continues to face high levels of poverty and he is sure the budget will not solve or seriously address that major issue.
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