A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian Saiku Andrews, responsible for public works, delivered a scathing critique of Budget 2026 on day three of the National Assembly debates, accusing the government of mismanaging public funds, inflating costs, and prioritizing contractors over citizens.
Andrews opened his remarks by correcting a mispronunciation of his name and acknowledging the PNC leadership and voters who enabled his election. He focused on social programmes, arguing that the government had dismantled initiatives that provided genuine support to schoolchildren.
“Let us circle back to 2015 and do some simple Mathematics…The Five Bs—Buses, Boats and Bicycles, Breakfast and Books—was worth $117,000 per school child, far surpassing the $10,000 Because We Care cash grant,” Andrews said. “But for political expediency, this government threw away the Five Bs, and guess what happened? A kid had to pay $390,000 per year. And you say you care about people? You care about yourself.”
Andrews criticised the overall focus of the $1.558 trillion budget, noting that 50% is devoted to capital expenditure. “Transformational infrastructure must deliver value for money, stand the test of time, and withstand adversity. That is transformational infrastructure,” he said, contrasting current projects with lasting works built under the People’s National Congress (PNC), including the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, the Demerara Harbour Bridge, and the Canje River Bridge.
He singled out the Providence to Diamond four-lane road, completed in 2014, yet scheduled for a $7.4 billion rehabilitation after just 12 years. “The PPP’s mindset needs to be rehabilitated—from break, build, break and rehabilitate to build to last,” he said.
Andrews also condemned the handling of the Berbice River Bridge, claiming previous proposals for a fixed bridge were ignored, leaving citizens to bear the cost of a floating bridge with some of the highest tolls in the region.
Highlighting cost overruns, he cited the Mandela to Eccles Highway project, where per-kilometre costs jumped from $928 million in 2021 to $4.6 billion in later phases. Contracts for phase four were signed at $52 billion, despite a reputable company bidding $41.5 billion. “For $11.5 billion, Mr. Speaker, we could give 95,000 old age pensioners $25,000 for the next five years. That is the value you must deliver to the Guyanese people,” Andrews said.
Small-scale projects fared no better. Andrews pointed to Aubrey Barker Road, where four contractors spent four years expanding a 1.9-kilometre road, calling the delays “nowhere in the modern world.”
He concluded by questioning the impact of government spending over the past five years. “After spending $5 trillion in five years, after claims of creating 100,000 jobs, distributing 50,000 house lots, 5,000 contracts, 12,000 projects…58 percent of this country remains in poverty,” Andrews said. “This is not leadership that cares. This is a group of administrators who work for money and have no care for people.”
Andrews’ presentation underscored opposition concerns about fiscal mismanagement, inflated infrastructure costs, and the government’s failure to translate record spending into tangible improvements for citizens.
