APNU pickets Irfaan Ali’s office for cash grant

Last Updated on Monday, 8 December 2025, 23:53 by Writer

Fewer than 100 persons on Monday heeded a call by the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to protest outside of the Office the President to demand that President Irfaan Ali stick to his election campaign promise and pay a cash grant for the Christmas holidays.

APNU protesters chanted slogans and waived placards to send government a message that the payout is needed to cushion the impact of rising cost of living.

Placards read “The money belongs to the people of Guyana. Pay it now”, “Pay the cash grant now,” “Guyanese are no fools. Give us our money,”, “Deliver on your promise. Cash Grant for 2025 Christmas”, “We can’t eat beauty. Fancy don’t pay bills. We need the cash grant for Christmas” and “Ministers gettin fat cheques while the people are struggling. Pay the cash grant now.”

Demanding at least GY$150,000 for each Guyanese 18 years and older, the coalition supporters and their leaders vowed not to give up in their call. “This money belongs to the people of Guyana and because it belongs to the people of Guyana, we are very serious in relation to how they must be treated,” APNU member of parliament, Dr Dexter Todd said from the picket line.

Dr Todd said his party has been seeing people who are “desperately in need” of the cash transfers, against the backdrop of an “alarming” high unemployment rate.

He said APNU would be pushing for a law to be passed for specific timelines to be put in place for the disbursement of cash transfers in Guyana, rather than depend on the unilateral decision of politicians.

The Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity and Vigilant Political Action Committee also participated in the protest that moved from the Square of the Revolution to outside the eastern side of the Office of the President.

APNU parliamentary leader Dr Terrence Campbell said his party intended to forge unity to address several issues.

Reacting to President Ali’s position at a campaign meeting in Eccles that they would get a beautiful Christmas “if you behave yourself”, Dr Campbell said “the money is the people’s money; they don’t have to behave themselves to get it.”

The Guyanese leader, who had hinted strongly during the latter weeks of the 2025 general and regional election campaign that there would be a cash grant payout for the holidays, has since not indicated when there would be a disbursement.