APNU loads up oil money promises at election campaign launch

Last Updated on Monday, 7 July 2025, 11:18 by Writer

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Sunday night launched its election campaign rally vowing to deliver more to Guyanese as a result of the country’s growing oil wealth.

Eyeing more revenues from oil, PNCR Executive Member and Vice Presidential candidate Ganesh Mahipaul said that already Guyana was earning a lot of revenue from the four Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. He said that with a total of ten such vessels expected to be in operation in another five years, an APNU-led government would have sufficient cash to deliver on its promises. “If four is giving us so much, imagine what te will give us and that is why the plan that the APNU has, it can be financed by oil alone and that is why I am saying to you we are about putting people first,” he said. Among the commitments Mahipaul gave were no tax increases as “we have enough money to deliver to our people.”

Prime Ministerial candidate, Juretha Fernandes said APNU on top of the 35 percent salary increases, the income tax threshold would be increased to GYD$400,000 and so “in effect we will be completely removing the income tax on the working people”.

Repeatedly saying “this is your time”, the former Alliance For Change executive member, said senior citizens would receive pensions of GYD$100,000 per month.

Under the “people-centered development strategy”, Ms Fernandes said every child from 0-18 years old would be given GY$120,000 annually. “We will invest in the people because you the people deserve the absolute benefits,” she said.

Focussing on the Indigenous Amerindian hinterland communities that are faced with very high cost of living, she said the road transportation links would be improved significantly. “We will be building highways to bridge the divide between the coast and the hinterland. This is the investment we need for our Indigenous brothers and sisters,” said the former opposition member of the House bipartisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that scrutinises government expenditure.

Ms Fernandes flayed the PPPC administration’s distribution of swampy house lots and she elaborated that APNU’s housing plan would see Guyanese receiving “finished homes”.

The APNU is pledging to get young people to work by creating “thousands of jobs” by awarding small contracts for roads, housing and community projects. In that regard, she vowed that an APNU administration would stamp out corruption in the provision of contracts. “We acknowledge the contractors out there that have to buy a contract here and there. We are telling you that we will make all your lives better and we will make sure that never again to do that. We will make sure that when you get a small contract is a contract that you will benefit from and you don’t have to pay for it,” she added. Major infrastructural projects such as ports to the hinterland highways would also be sources of jobs, she assured.

In addition to beefing up the University of Guyana, Ms Fernandes said the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programmes would be “revamped to create job-ready programmes”.

In the area of business development, she said the APNU plans to boost support to mining and agriculture and put people to work. Also in the pipeline is the establishment of a development and investment bank to provide entrepreneurs with access to credit. Small and micro-business owners would see a more than doubling of the grant and small business soft loans while providing support and training so that their businesses do not fail. “That is how you invest in people-centered development,” she said.

The Commissioner of Information’s office would be allowed to provide information so that Guyanse could make informed decisions, Ms Fernandes promised.

APNU presidential candidate Aubrey Norton also punctuated his address with promises that were linked to the availability of more oil wealth. Among them is a steep double-digit salary increase for government employees. “From day one, on taking office, by the stroke of a pen, there will be a 35 percent increase in wages,” he said.

Working People’s Alliance Co-Leader, Dr David Hinds, in his remarks, said the anti-poverty strategy would also include negotiating acceptable wages and salaries with the trade unions. “We will sit down with your unions and bargain with your unions to ensure every worker gets a liveable wage,” he told the thousands of attendees, though comparatively less than previous rallies at the same location – the Square of the Revolution. 

Other promises the APNU platform offered are increased food production in the ten dministrative regions to reduce the cost of living, a rent subsidy and the construction of thousands of houses for poor people to pay under a rent-to-own scheme, a GY$50,000 stipend to tertiary students, two hot meals per child, GY$120,000 to each child per year in two disbursements and legally mandated cash transfers. “There will be direct, predictable cash transfers to the people of this country…We will distribute it in a way that the majority of the people in this country can access resources,” Mr Norton told the rally. Rather than ploughing huge financing in the GOAL, he said an APNU-led administration would provide adequate funds to the University of Guyana to upgrade its academic programmes.

In the area of sport, the PNCR Leader said funds would be allocated to Guyanese sport competitors, unlike the current administration that greets winners on arrival at the airport but provide no financial support “when they (are) punishing.” He said the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic administration dug most of the grounds and left them unfinished and in Linden the athletic track remain unfinished over the past five years. “It irks me every time a young athlete comes to me with a piece of paper saying ‘I’m going overseas. Could you help?’ Should not occur in oil-rich Guyana, so we’re saying to you that all our national athletes will be sponsored by the government and they will be paid a salary to stay into sport,” he said.

Both Dr Hinds and Mr Norton assured party faithful that they would bring an end to extra-judicial killings. Touching on the controversial death of 11-year-old Adrianna Young, whose body was found in a pool at the Double Day Hotel, Mr Norton said if he wins the new administration would conduct an independent probe into the incident.

The presidential candidate also said the Guyana Police Force would be professionalised and that would include the departure of Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken.

Dr Hinds appealed to voters to cast their ballots solidly for APNU to bring an end to ills such as blackouts, extrajudicial killings, corruption and racism. “Do not waste your vote and in case you like the other word, do not split your vote,” he said.

Mr Bharrat Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party and 2nd Vice President of Guyana, has repeatedly criticised the opposition for pegging unrealistic promises to current oil revenues. At the same time, the ruling party has promised to provide more resources to Guyanese as more oil projects are developed.

Guyana is expected to produce about 1.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2029 and earn as much as US$10 billion yearly.