Opposition Member of Parliament Dr. Terrence Campbell on Thursday delivered a blistering critique of the 2026 National Budget, declaring it “the emptiest budget ever” and accusing the government of prioritising infrastructure spending over people, while presiding over declining education outcomes, health system failures and rising economic risks.
Campbell, Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentary Team with responsibility for Finance and Health, said the budget lacked credible safeguards to protect lives, reduce poverty and maintain macroeconomic stability, despite being the largest in the country’s history.
Turning to education, Campbell accused former Education Minister Priya Manickchand of presiding over declining academic outcomes. Citing figures contained in the budget, he said Guyana’s matriculation rate fell from 30 per cent in 2021—her first full year in office—to 26 per cent in 2024, her last full year. “The Honourable Member Priya Manickchand has been a failure at the Ministry of Education,” Campbell told the National Assembly.
He also criticised Manickchand’s description of the Haags Bosch roadway as a “design flaw,” arguing that it reflected a wider pattern of poorly executed state projects. He listed the Skeldon Estate, Amaila Falls, the East Coast highway, the gas-to-energy project and the Bharrat Jagdeo Bridge, stating that repeated defects demonstrated systemic governance failures.
Campbell dismissed endorsements of the budget by sections of the private sector and labour movement, including the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), claiming such bodies were “politically captured.” He said the opposition and the wider public were “not impressed” and accused the government of misleading the country.
On agriculture, Campbell challenged claims by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha that fisheries funding was not reduced. Quoting page 37 of the budget, he said expenditure fell from $1.7 billion in 2025 to $1.5 billion in 2026. He further criticised Mustapha’s response to a parliamentary question on poultry imports, arguing that the minister failed to distinguish between countries and private entities.
Addressing social justice and reparations, Campbell said the government lacked moral standing to represent African Guyanese while forcibly removing communities. “No government that bulldozes the people at Mocha and that is getting ready to bulldoze the people of Sophia this weekend can adequately represent the cause of African Guyanese on reparations,” he said.
A major portion of Campbell’s presentation focused on the health sector, where he said government claims of adequate staffing were contradicted by patient deaths, staff burnout and long delays in care. He cited the death of Onessia Andrews on December 12, alleging she was unable to receive timely treatment at both the Enmore Regional Hospital and the Georgetown Public Hospital.
He also referenced complaints from Diamond Hospital and Bath Regional Hospital, where nurses reported burnout and disparities in treatment between local and foreign nurses. Campbell alleged that foreign nurses received higher pay and benefits, and accused the government of pursuing a policy of importing nurses while driving local professionals out of the system.
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony objected to Campbell’s assertion that Bangladeshi nurses were already employed in the public sector, stating that none were. Campbell responded that he had referenced complaints about foreign nurses and advertisements and reports linked to overseas recruitment. The Speaker cautioned against imputing motives to foreign governments.
Campbell quoted Dr. Mark DeFrance of the Georgetown Public Hospital, who questioned why basic services remained unavailable despite massive spending. “We have had billion-dollar budgets and our healthcare system still lacks,” DeFrance said, asking why essential tests and medications were routinely unavailable.
Campbell accused the system of “putting bricks ahead of people” and raised serious concerns about expired medications. He cited disclosures that $1.7 billion worth of drugs were disposed of over eight or nine months, estimating annual wastage at $2.3 billion, and alleged that expired drugs may have been issued to patients to reduce reported disposal levels.
He listed several recent deaths at public hospitals, which he said were preventable and resulted from protocol breaches, inadequate counselling and treatment delays.
Outlining APNU’s alternative approach, Campbell proposed a national health service model in which every citizen would be assigned a general practitioner and receive annual medical assessments, with a stronger emphasis on preventive care.
On economic management, Campbell warned that a projected $450 billion budget deficit and rising foreign debt posed serious risks. He said more than half of Guyana’s public debt is externally financed and cautioned that debt servicing could exceed 15 per cent of revenue within six years, pushing the country into financial instability.
He noted that economic growth had slowed sharply—from 43.8 per cent in 2024 to 19.3 per cent in 2025, with a further decline projected—driven largely by oil. Non-oil growth, he said, is weakening and concentrated in construction and quarrying, leaving the economy vulnerable.
Campbell criticised what he described as excessive and poorly sequenced infrastructure spending, arguing that repeated road repairs and inflationary pressures reflected weak planning. He questioned the need for a new Berbice Bridge at an estimated cost of US$255 million and accused the government of breaching the Fiscal Transfers Act in its regional allocation of resources.
He further accused the administration of treating the Natural Resource Fund “as an ATM,” alleged favouritism in planned dredging projects, and estimated that gold smuggling could be costing Guyana up to US$1.7 billion annually.
Campbell concluded by accusing the government of neglecting the poor, failing to collect detailed poverty data and underfunding social safety nets. He said APNU would continue to hold the administration accountable and oppose policies that harm citizens.
“Until real people-first change is demonstrated, I am unable to support this budget,” Campbell said.
