Misinformation and misinterpretation overload

Dear Editor,
We are living in times where there is no dearth of data and information, yet we are exposed to a misinformation and misinterpretation overload fuelled by the usual suspects: the Opposition and its social media “influencers”.
When a political party creates a manifesto, it is a five-year plan.  It can be defined as “a public declaration of policies and aims issued by a party or candidate before an election to outline their intended actions if elected.” It serves as a campaign tool to persuade voters, highlighting key areas, such as economic, social, and local issues. These documents are not legally binding, though they provide a framework for accountability’ and more often than not the people expect that the “promises” made therein will be delivered. The PPP/C Government delivered and, in some cases, “over-delivered” on its 2020 election promises, unlike the previous coalition. It was clearly understood by all, including the Opposition and its supporters, that there is a five-year window for the PPP/C to deliver on its promises contained in their manifesto. Therefore, why is it that there is now a new twist to the PPP/C’s manifesto? Why is it that the Opposition and its supporters expect that this Government must deliver everything now? I think this is a deliberate attempt to corrupt the minds of the gullible since they lacked any constructive criticism of the 2026 Budget.
Firstly, there was the misinterpretation of the pronouncements made by His Excellency, Dr Irfaan Ali, with regard to the cash grant, which I dealt with in my letter to the press captioned “Weaponising the Cash Grant”, wherein I stated that “it was an expectation based on what transpired in 2024, statements misconstrued during the election campaign and what the WIN political party fuelled in the minds of people”. I think the dust has now settled on that one since the 2026 budget has addressed that issue.
Secondly, the rate of socio-economic development unfolding in this country is unparalleled, and the 2026 Budget has lived up to its theme, “Putting People First”. The needs of each and every Guyanese have been addressed in this budget, yet there are those, like the newly elected Opposition leader, who will do the usual nit-picking and conclude that it fell “woefully short” of meeting citizens’ needs. Both the APNU and WIN selectively pointed to the increases in the “Because We Care” cash grant, the old age pension and public assistance as evidence that the 2026 Budget failed to put people first. However, they conveniently ignored the rest of the budget. In their books, “people” is limited to the categories aforementioned. They did not mention the $100k for every newborn nor the transportation grants. They failed to bring to the forefront the numerous benefits which these categories will enjoy. In total, people will benefit from approximately $150 billion in cash transfers – $150,000 per person, assuming a total population of one million persons. Is this meagre? Moreover, do people not include university students, those writing CSEC, and those benefitting from the school feeding programmes?
What the Opposition and the naysayers fail to comprehend is that people refer to each and every Guyanese, and we need to understand how the improvements in each and every sector will improve our lives, and the budget allocation from the $1.558 trillion ensures this. Are these people myopic and suffering from tunnel vision? Let them do an in-depth study of the budget, and they will appreciate that the Guyanese people will benefit as a whole. The budget debate will conclusively affirm the theme of the 2026 budget.
Let me digress a bit. I saw an Opposition MP already complaining that he does not have enough time to study the budget, stating that six days is inadequate. Yet some of his colleagues were sleeping for six hours during the presentation. Furthermore, since they know so much about corruption, then their debate should be easy – just provide evidence of your claims in Parliament.
Thirdly, do we want to be another Venezuela, where the hyperinflation rate is beyond calculation? Do we want another exodus of our people, which occurred during the PNC dictatorship? Do we really want a situation where increasing cash transfers and wages reaches a point to where they are no longer sustainable? Is it difficult to understand that oil prices are falling and may continue to fall in the near future? Is it difficult to understand that a budget must cater to changing economic realities now and in the predictable future? I do not think for a moment that the Opposition leader and the APNU leader do not understand the answers to these questions. It is possible to promise your wife a diamond necklace on her birthday next year, but financial circumstances may force you to consider a gold one instead. Should your wife be disgruntled to the extent of divorcing you?
Lastly, I could vividly recall that prior to 2015, the APNU/AFC were chanting the corruption mantra that every Government contract awarded by the then PPP/C Government contained a 20-25 per cent “kickback” element which must be delivered to the Ministers. They had vowed that if elected, this sum will be trimmed and the country will benefit.  But when they took office in 2015, we saw corruption taken to unprecedented levels. Immediately, the Durban Park comes to mind, which is a stark example of corruption, lack of accountability, and financial mismanagement involving over $1.5 billion Guyanese dollars. This is just one among the many affecting each and every sector and Government agency during the Coalition’s tenure. The irony is that no ample socio-economic development was discernible from over $1.5 trillion spent over their tenure in office. The current leader of the Opposition is now echoing the corruption mantra.
In conclusion, the President has made it clear that “…we have 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030 to fulfil a series of commitments at a particular ceiling that was proposed in our manifesto that we promised the people.”

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf