WIN launches 2025 manifesto with plans for cash increases, social services

The ‘We Invest in Nationhood’ political party launched its manifesto for the 2025 General and Regional Elections on Thursday, with plans for pay increases and increased social funding.

The manifesto was launched at the WIN party head office in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed was joined by several candidates, including Vishnu Panday, who was the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s Agriculture Director.

So what are some of the party’s promises?

• Increasing public assistance from $22,000 to $50,000
• Increasing public assistance for individuals living with HIV and cancer from $14,000 to $30,000
• Increasing the old-age pension from $41,000 to $100,000
• Reducing PAYE to 20%
• Increase the income tax threshold from $130,000 to $200,000
• Increasing public servant salaries up to 50% while the private sector will be engaged on increasing their minimum wage

Mr. Mohamed also said Value Added Tax (VAT) will be reduced from 14% to 10% and several items will become zero-rated.

“… we still have more policies and plans for the people of this country,” he said.

Questioned about how the party will fund these increases if in office, Mr. Mohamed opined that there has been much “wasteful spending” stemming from the national budget, and vowed that his party will end that.

He also vowed to engage ExxonMobil so that the 2016 oil contract would have fairer terms for Guyana. This contract, called the Production Sharing Agreement, was signed by the APNU+AFC government and has been widely criticised as a contract that heavily favours the oil companies operating offshore. Mr. Mohamed also said the party would “try to ensure” that some projects are ringfenced; this essentially means the costs and revenues associated with one specific project are kept separate from others and cannot be used to offset expenses from other projects.

He was also grilled on the overhanging issue: his sanctions from the United States Department of the Treasury and what that means for Guyana, should he become any part of the governance system, either in government or opposition.

“When we take office… the United States of America will work with us,” the Presidential hopeful affirmed, but offered no other explanation.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, on June 11, 2024, announced the imposition of sanctions against the Mohamed family, specifically targeting Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, and their businesses, namely Mohamed’s Enterprise, Hadi’s World, and Team Mohamed’s Racing. These sanctions were connected to gold smuggling and corruption. Former Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, Mae Thomas, was also sanctioned.

Because of these sanctions from the US body, the business licences the Mohameds had were rescinded, and their bank accounts were closed. In May, Azruddin announced his intention to run for President, and his WIN party is one of six parties approved to contest the 2025 General and Regional Elections.