APNU candidate Ganesh Mahipaul has staked the coalition’s 2025 election campaign on what he calls a “people-first” agenda, promising that an Aubrey Norton-led government would focus squarely on ordinary Guyanese through higher wages, targeted cash transfers, and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
Appearing on Sources with journalist Svetlana Marshall, Maipaul defended the coalition’s record in office from 2015 to 2020 and sought to position APNU as the only political force prepared to tackle inequality head-on. “Our track record is premised on delivering to the people,” he said. “We raised the minimum wage, we fixed schools that were in disrepair, and we built infrastructure in communities long ignored. That is the type of governance we are offering Guyanese again.”
Among the headline promises, Mahipaul announced that every adult Guyanese would receive a $100,000 cash transfer within the first 100 days of a new APNU government. The party also intends to raise the income tax threshold to $400,000, a measure that he said would benefit 225,000 workers by leaving more money in their pockets.
Public sector employees, teachers, nurses, police, and soldiers, would see graduated salary increases of up to 35 percent, with the largest raises going to the lowest earners. “It’s about equity,” Maipaul explained. “This government gave a 10 percent increase across the board, which means a minister earning $1 million a month got $100,000 more, while a sweeper-cleaner only got $10,000. That is not fairness. We will reverse that inequity.”
The coalition has also pledged to create 40,000 jobs over the next five years, with a heavy emphasis on technical and vocational training. Maipaul pointed to the thousands of “10-day workers” currently on short-term contracts who, under an APNU government, would be reskilled and transitioned into permanent employment.
“Not every child is academically inclined,” he noted. “We must harness the talents of those who can excel as mechanics, chefs, tailors, masons, or electricians. Technical training is not second-class; it is essential to building a modern Guyana.”
The plan includes revitalizing institutions like the Carnegie School of Home Economics and the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service, as well as expanding training centers across the regions.
Mahipaul accused the PPP of creating “two Guyanas”, one where a small circle of families and friends benefit from oil wealth and contracts, and another where ordinary citizens struggle. “The gap between the rich and the poor has widened dramatically over the past five years. Our people are poorer, while those in government are richer,” he charged.
By contrast, he said APNU’s manifesto is designed to empower families. “When you vote APNU, you’re voting for yourself,” Maipaul told listeners. “You’re voting for more disposable income, better schools, stronger healthcare, and a country that treats its citizens equitably.”
At the heart of his message was the party’s campaign slogan; “Putting People First.” Maipaul insisted that an APNU government would not be driven by personal enrichment but by service. “We are not coming to power to live above the people. We are coming to serve. Aubrey Norton will be the chief servant, and all of us will be servants of the people,” he declared.
As Guyana heads toward the September election, Mahipaul’s pitch reflects a deliberate strategy to cast APNU as the party of fairness, jobs, and inclusion; a direct challenge to the PPP’s claim that it has delivered prosperity in the oil boom era.
