A New and United Guyana (ANUG) on Sunday evening slammed the government for its failure to provide measures that would ease the financial burden on Guyanese from the rising cost of living which it says has increased by over 40 percent since 2020.
In particular, the opposition party, led by former Speaker of the National Assembly and Attorney-at-Law, Ralph Ramkarran, noted that the cost of essential commodities has risen drastically. In this regard, ANUG highlighted that the cost for plantain was $80 per lb and is now $200 per lb. “It is the working class, who have already endured over fifty years of decay under poor leadership, who are hardest hit by these increases,” said ANUG.
The party is also of the view that the government should use a portion of the oil revenues to help cushion the blow of rising food prices on the working poor.
It said, “By a stroke of luck, Guyana has newfound wealth which could easily be directed to relieve that hardship. Guyana has received over USD$700,000,000 in royalties and profited from oil production since March 2020. More revenue is expected shortly.”
“One would imagine that the Government, flush with funds, would prioritize the alleviation of the distress of the working class by raising salaries in the public, police and teaching services, especially at the lower scale; by raising the minimum wage; by lifting the income tax threshold; and by providing a system of unemployment and sickness benefits and benefits for school children using the existing National Insurance Scheme structure.”
In the absence of the foregoing, ANUG accused the PPP Government of being solely taken up with awarding contracts via an opaque system where friends and family continue to benefit, pumping billions into the Guyana Sugar Corporation, which has a disastrous track record of debt and production failings, and a loud announcement of the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on cement.
In conclusion, ANUG said the working poor do not eat cement, nor do they buy it. The party called for the government to take immediate action and provide solutions that are pro-poor.
