Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, on Friday delivered a fiery and unapologetic closing presentation to cap a heavy week of debates on Budget 2026.
He mounted a robust defence of the government’s record, unleashed a sharp critique of the opposition, and declared that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) remains the country’s only truly national political movement.
Speaking at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Minister Singh said Budget 2026 carries special significance as the first budget of the government’s new term in office.
“Budget 2026 was going to be an extremely important budget, because it was going to define the path that we will traverse over the course of the next five years and set out our government’s agenda for this current term of office,” he told the National Assembly.
The finance minister used much of his presentation to commend government Members of Parliament, casting the past week of debates as powerful evidence of the strength, depth, and diversity of the PPP/C.
“I consider it a personal privilege and honour to be a member of this People’s Progressive Party Civic team,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as a broad mix of experienced leaders, young parliamentarians, professionals, and regional representatives, arguing that the party continues to reflect Guyana’s diversity.
“What we saw over the course of the past week was… why the People’s Progressive Party remains Guyana’s only truly national, multi-ethnic party,” Singh declared.
He added that the performance of younger MPs reinforced his belief that “the future of the People’s Progressive Party and therefore the future of Guyana are in good hands.”
Dr Singh also launched a forceful and sustained critique of the opposition benches, arguing that the current Parliament reflects a fragmented and weakened opposition that is unable to offer a credible alternative.
“They are fragmented, and they are weaker than any opposition that we have seen in living memory,” Minister Singh said, pointing to the reduced parliamentary presence of the main opposition bloc following the last elections.
He was particularly critical of what he described as the tone of some opposition contributions during the debates, accusing one opposition member of engaging in “vile, personalised… vulgar, vicious, vitriolic behaviour” and of lowering the standard of parliamentary discourse.
The senior minister argued that such conduct, along with what he described as contradictions in the opposition’s positions, undermined their credibility as an alternative government. “These are the people who want to present themselves as an alternative government, incapable of working together even on simple matters,” he said.
Turning to policy matters, the minister rejected claims that the government does not consult stakeholders, insisting that consultations are continuous, structured, and far broader than isolated meetings ahead of the budget.
“We are engaged with the private sector literally every week, if not every day,” he said, noting that government policies are informed by ongoing engagement with businesses, community groups, and other stakeholders.
He also criticised remarks made during the debate, suggesting that private sector bodies are politically aligned, describing such claims as dismissive of organisations that represent broad national interests.
Minister Singh said the debates had strengthened his confidence in both the government’s direction and its team.
“As I saw our young Members of Parliament distinguish themselves, I was reinforced in my view that the future of the People’s Progressive Party and therefore the future of Guyana are in good hands and are alive and well,” he said.
Budget 2026, he maintained, lays the foundation for continued economic expansion, improved public services, and broad-based national development over the next five years.