It is time we, the Guyanese people, separate fact from fiction when it comes to the government’s so-called generosity. A retroactive salary increase is not a bonus, no matter how shrewdly it is framed by Finance Minister Ashni Singh and the PPP. This annual “pay increase” doesn’t even begin to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living, where essential items like rice, sugar, oil, and chicken have seen price increases upwards of 25%.
Yet, here we are, celebrating a taxable salary adjustment simply because it arrives in a lump sum. This is not cause for applause; it is the bare minimum. Where is the true bonus for government workers? Where is the recognition for their hard work in an oil-rich economy?
Instead, this government, basking in the glow of public praise, offers a 10% increase for 2024—a paltry sum—and then has the audacity to propose an 8% increase for 2025, which is downright unconscionable given our economic realities. For a government that boasts of distributing $40,000 cash grants to parents in every region, why is there such clumsiness and delay when it comes to fulfilling the $100,000 grant promise?
The truth is, the $100,000 grant was nothing more than a distraction—a last-minute promise they had no intention of honoring in 2024. Despite their enthusiastic raiding of the oil fund, the government failed to allocate sufficient funds to ensure all citizens would receive this grant in 2024. Instead, they stumble from one excuse to another, collecting data on citizens and delaying disbursements month after month.
This behavior is duplicitous and exemplifies an uncaring, unfeeling, and corrupt government—one that can efficiently plan a classless “Diamond Ball” complete with humans swinging from the ceilings, vast quantities of imported champagne, steak, and seafood. Yet, the same government that excels in extravagance becomes inexplicably inept when it comes to fulfilling promises that genuinely uplift citizens.
The Guyanese people deserve better than the PPP’s calculated half-measures and broken promises. It is time we demand accountability, transparency, and meaningful economic progress—not just the illusion of generosity.
