THE highly anticipated debate on Guyana’s 2026 National Budget will begin today in the National Assembly, marking the formal start of parliamentary scrutiny of the country’s largest fiscal package to date.
The debate will open with opposition Members of Parliament Dr Andre Lewis and Vinceroy Jordan, setting the tone for what is expected to be an intense and closely watched exchange between those occupying the government and opposition benches.
Ahead of the opening, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, cautioned the public against what he described as a growing “misinformation machinery” surrounding the budget. He urged citizens to separate facts from politically driven narratives as the parliamentary process unfolds.
McCoy also warned that organised efforts to distort the budget’s content and intent are already underway, stressing that while robust criticism is a normal feature of democratic debate, deliberate misinformation risks misleading the public and undermining meaningful national discourse.
“We are in the midst of a situation where people are out with their machinery that provides rapid disinformation and misinformation to our people. You have to be able to decipher what is truth, what are facts, and what is intended to be mischief. There will be a lot of noise,” he emphasised.
According to the approved speakers’ list, government Members of Parliament scheduled to speak on day one include Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill; Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud; Education Minister Sonia Parag; Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Steven Jacobs; Mischka White-Griffith; Lennox Shuman; Bhagmattie Veerasammy, Dr Jennifer Westford and Seepaul Narine.
The opposition speakers include Natasha Singh, Dr Gordon Barker, Coretta McDonald, Deon La Cruz and Nima Flue-Bess.
Minister McCoy said while criticism from the opposition is expected, the key question is whether meaningful, solutions-oriented arguments will be brought to the table.
“Perhaps people say that’s what opposition does,” he said. “But can they get down to real, nitty-gritty, sensible arguments that enhance what exists, rather than distract from what the government is trying to do for the people of this country?”
McCoy said the government is fully prepared to defend Budget 2026 and the programmes and initiatives contained within it.
He used the opportunity to emphasise that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) policies have already improved lives and will continue to do so.
The country’s $1.558 trillion budget has been characterised by the government as “a journey of continuation,” building on policies introduced since the PPP/C returned to office in 2020.
During an examination of the fiscal package, President, Dr Irfaan Ali last week highlighted that the budget deliberately absorbs billions of dollars in inflationary pressure shocks, sparing households and businesses from the full impact of global price increases that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain disruptions and international conflicts.
Among the core planks of the budget is the continuation of zero-rated value added tax (VAT) on key food items and basic household necessities, a policy first introduced in the country’s Budget 2021.
This is coupled with the removal of VAT on electricity, water, and medical supplies, a measure the President said is costing the government around $4 billion annually, but is directly lowering expenses for ordinary families.
The administration is also maintaining subsidies on electricity and water, with targeted support for old-age pensioners and sustaining programmes such as the Because We Care grant, old-age pension increases, and one-off bonuses for specific categories of workers and pensioners.
