The Manifesto Series: Cash Initiatives 

To get into the nitty-gritty of these promises, we’ll dive into the manifestos presented by the parties. So far, four of the six political parties contesting the elections have publicised their manifestos. Those parties are: the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic, which is seeking re-election; A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM).

The Alliance For Change (AFC) hasn’t released a full-pledged manifesto but has been sharing snippets of its policy positions and promises for several sectors. The sixth party, the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), has not publicised its plans just yet.

So find out what the parties are promising, we’ll first start with some of their cash initiatives.

The governing PPP/C will increase the old-age pension to at least $60,000 and introduce an annual transportation grant of $50,000 for each old-age pension recipient. It will increase public assistance to $40,000 monthly, and increase the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant for schoolchildren to $100,000 while introducing a new children’s transportation of $100,000.

The party has pointed out that these figures could increase as Guyana’s revenue collections go up. Other cash grants will be given intermittently too.

Additionally, the PPP/C promises to maintain its policy of no new taxes and vows to lower taxes generally, including reduced income and corporate taxes, and taxes on vehicles. It also plans to conclude multi-year agreements with the unions to grant continued salary increases and improved benefits to employees.

Finally, the party said it will reduce the cost of electricity by 50%, reduce the cost of cooking gas, and continue efforts to keep fuel costs low.

Now for APNU, the main opposition party.

APNU says it will increase the old-age pension to $100,000; double the $22,000 public assistance; and provide each post-secondary school student with a $50,000 stipend monthly, and provide free electricity for bills up to $10,000 monthly and free water for bills up to $5,000 monthly.

APNU also said it will increase the minimum wage for public servants to $200,000 monthly, with a promise of salary increases of up to 35%, and pay a yearly cash transfer of $100,000 or more to each adult.

Then, there’s WIN.

WIN, like APNU, vows to increase the old-age pension to $100,000. The party also promises to increase public assistance to $50,000 and increase the public assistance for persons living with HIV and cancer to $30,000.

WIN proposes its own cash grant for schoolchildren called the Thrive Grant, which will see children getting $55,000 in the first school term, $30,000 in the second term, and $15,000 in the final term. That amounts to $100,000 per school year.

The party also promises to give a scaled salary increase of up to 50% for public servants.

Again, the AFC hasn’t yet released its full manifesto, but it promises several new measures. The party says it will introduce a new national pension fund for all public and private sector workers, guaranteeing a universal minimum pension of $100,000 for all citizens aged 65 years and older.

Additionally, it will introduce unemployment, maternity, paternity, and disability insurance, with coverage extending to informal sector workers.

Finally, the Forward Guyana Movement released its manifesto with a focus on policy but was short on specific commitments. It promised to ensure that every Guyanese has the chance to earn a living wage and to reform the tax system to ensure fairness and equity, so that everyone pays their fair share and public resources are used for the benefit of all.

As we get closer to the September 1, 2025, General and Regional Elections, we’ll delve into other aspects of the manifestos (Vishani Ragobeer)