In arguably the most elegant contribution to the 2026 budget debates, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, proudly defended her government’s unmatched vision for transforming Guyana. Noting that it is her 34th budget debate, Teixeira eloquently reminded the House of the historical hardships stalwarts like herself lived through and fought hard to overcome.
Teixeira recalled the dark times of the 70s, 80s and 90s, where poverty in the country was stark. She described the squalor of squatting areas, where people walked knee-deep in mud, with one latrine for 100 people and no water. She said this period was also one where Guyana’s children suffered from Kwashiorkor.
“It is the worst form of malnutrition, when children’s bellies get swelled up and their hair get red. All these things happened, 57% of the children of Guyana by 1985 were suffering from malnutrition and severe malnutrition. You didn’t have to go into the interior areas to see this…,” Teixeira said.
Even when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took the reins of office in 1992, Teixeira noted the country was heavily indebted, crumbling under the pressure of economic ruin that took years to reverse. She recalled that it was just 15 years ago that House Speaker Manzoor Nadir served as Minister of Trade, Industry and Commerce, and he held an expo showcasing a huge panel drawing of what an improved Sheriff Street would look like.
“It had all these tall buildings and lights and a wider road. And I thought to myself, ‘what the devil is my comrade doing? When will we reach that?’ We were in debt. We didn’t have money. We didn’t have what you call oil money. And I thought, why the devil is my minister and my colleague doing this? He’s going to raise people’s expectations,” shared Teixeira. She confessed that since then, she had been cynical. “I didn’t know how long it would take us to get out of where we were,” admitted Teixeira.
Reflecting on Guyana’s current pace of transformation, Teixeira said the country is firmly positioned in its golden era of development.
Whether one is a fan of the PPP/C or not, she questioned: “How could you not be proud to be Guyanese at this time?”
She said, “I am proud to see my country move from what it was in the 70s and 80s to what it is today. I am proud to have lived long enough to have seen what is happening to my country, to see the change, to see the transformation, to see the improvements in the quality of people’s lives.”
Teixeira also bemoaned the fact that there are parliamentarians like Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr David Hinds, who are well aware of the hardships Guyana faced but would pretend that development is nonexistent.
She said Dr. Hinds knows exactly what the country went through.
The minister said, “You’re not blind. You’re not visually impaired, but you are intellectually, politically and academically jaundiced. Absolutely jaundiced! You are looking at the world through jaundiced eyes.
“You cannot see progress because it would be to admit that things are happening in Guyana and things are changing and people’s lives have improved.”
Teixeira said politicians who refuse to admit that the government has positioned the country on the pathway of unprecedented growth are opportunistic, seeking to secure votes on a false story that nothing is changing.
Speaking to first-time parliamentarians, Texeira urged them to learn quickly the responsibilities of a politician and the duty they have to the people to be honest and to represent them honestly.
She appealed that they learn Guyana’s history, which is captured in several documentaries, including “The Time and The Terror”, available on YouTube via this link:
“This documentary gives you a visual of what it was like in the 1960s. It is a beautiful replication of what we suffered in this country,” said Teixeira.
The minister noted that it is important for upcoming politicians to know where Guyana came from, adding, “It is the only way to understand where we are and where we are going.”