Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday urged members of the disciplined services to “vote wisely and consciously” as they head to the polls on Friday, appealing for their support by highlighting benefits restored under his government.
Ali, speaking at a rally in the farming community of Black Bush Polder, said the previous A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration ended the one-month tax-free Christmas bonus for the Joint Services after taking office in 2015.
“Vote with your conscious, vote with your dignity, vote with honour, vote for the party that gave you back your bonus. Today you have more scholarships, more access to training, access to housing [and] salaries,” Ali told the crowd.
The Christmas bonus, a flagship initiative of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) since 2002, provides members of the Guyana Defence Force, Police Force and Fire Service with additional year-end pay.
Ali reinstated the bonus after taking office in 2020, and by 2024, service members had received about $1.6 billion in payments. Earlier this year, his government also raised the minimum wage for junior ranks and officers to $130,000 in a bid to equalise pay across the Joint Services.
