Co-Leader of the Working People’s Alliance and Member of Parliament for the A Partnership for National Unity, Dr. David Hinds, has expressed strong disapproval of the government’s 2026 National Budget, specifically criticizing the lack of attention given to public servants and the University of Guyana.
During his contribution to the Budget Debate, Dr. Hinds highlighted that Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh’s budget speech made no reference to salary increases for public servants. Moreover, he pointed out that the University of Guyana received substantially less funding than it had requested.
Dr. Hinds argued that the government appears to prioritize the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) program over the national university. With the abolition of tuition fees at the University of Guyana, he emphasized the need for additional funding, suggesting that the budget allocation for GOAL—over $5 billion—should be redirected to support the university.
“We spend billions of dollars paying overseas universities in this GOAL scholarship while depriving our university of funds. The University of Guyana can provide some of those degrees that GOAL is sending our students abroad for. I urge our Government to slash the GOAL budget and give half of those resources to the University of Guyana,” he stated.
Furthermore, Dr. Hinds called for the government to prioritize public servants, criticizing the lack of a salary increase amid rising market prices. He pointed out the stark contrast between the minimum wage for public servants ($102,000) and that in the private sector ($60,000), questioning the government’s commitment to ensuring the dignity of public workers in a budget of $1.5 trillion.
“Mr. Speaker, can we not find a place for the dignity of public servants? Let us put public servants first,” he insisted.
Dr. Hinds also urged the government to address the high poverty rate in the country. He acknowledged the government’s broad measures but expressed concern over their effectiveness in tackling the root causes of poverty.
The remarks come as the opposition intensifies its scrutiny of government spending priorities while advocating for a stronger focus on supporting education and public service sectors.
