YOUTUBE SCRIPTS — WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026
SCRIPT 1: 60-SECOND VERSION (YouTube Shorts / TikTok)
[TITLE CARD: THE GUYANA BRIEF — Feb 4, 2026]
[AVATAR ON SCREEN]
“Good evening Guyana! Here’s your 60-second Wednesday news roundup!
Budget Debate Day Two turned into a BATTLE ROYALE in Parliament! Government ministers came out swinging — Bharrat says oil production is over 900,000 barrels a day, Rodrigues says 53,000 house lots delivered, and Agriculture Minister Mustapha HELD UP a physical five-year plan to make GuySuCo profitable by 2030.
The opposition fired back — Sharma Solomon says mining regions face structural neglect, and former sugar estate manager Vishnu Panday is demanding accountability for BILLIONS spent on the sugar industry.
Meanwhile, EVERY newspaper is blasting Speaker Nadir’s media lockout. Only 5 journalists allowed in Parliament — down from 17 in previous years. Stabroek News called it an ‘unvarnished assault on press freedom.’ The GPA is furious.
Big international news — Panama is opening an EMBASSY in Georgetown, and Guyana just earned 9 MILLION carbon credits for 2023!
And sports fans — the T20 World Cup starts FRIDAY! West Indies face Scotland in Kolkata. Let’s gooo!
Full breakdown on guyanadailybrief.com. Stay informed, Guyana!”
[END CARD: guyanadailybrief.com]
RUNTIME: 58-62 seconds (~160 words)
SCRIPT 2: 4-MINUTE VERSION (YouTube Long Form)
[TITLE CARD: THE GUYANA BRIEF — FULL BREAKDOWN — Feb 4, 2026]
[AVATAR ON SCREEN]
“What’s happening everybody! Welcome to The Guyana Brief for Wednesday, February 4th, 2026. Parliament is on FIRE — not literally, but close. Let’s get into it.
[SEGMENT 1: BUDGET DAY 2]
Budget Debate Day Two was absolute chaos. On the government side, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat says Guyana’s oil sector is one of the best managed among new producers worldwide. Production? Over 900,000 barrels per day. He also touted a ‘resurrection’ of the gold mining sector with over 1,000 small miners getting land access.
Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues came with the housing numbers — 53,000 house lots since 2020, 46 percent going to single women. Then she turned to opposition MP Sherod Duncan and reminded everyone his OWN government fired him over audit report issues. That was PERSONAL.
The BIGGEST moment? Agriculture Minister Mustapha literally held up a five-year plan for GuySuCo — like a physical document, in Parliament — and said sugar will be profitable by 2030. Production already up 26 percent. Three thousand hectares going mechanical. New boilers, new harvesters, the works.
But the opposition wasn’t quiet. Former GuySuCo estate manager Vishnu Panday called the industry ‘devastated’ and wants accountability for billions already spent. APNU’s Sharma Solomon painted a picture of mining regions in ‘structural neglect’ — gold and oil coming OUT of the hinterland but prosperity not going BACK.
And in a fierce exchange, Amerindian Affairs Minister Sarah Browne absolutely TORCHED opposition MP Dawn Hastings. She said Hastings sat ‘quiet as a mouse’ for five years while the coalition sent home 2,000 Community Service Officers and ignored Indigenous land issues. That was BRUTAL.
[SEGMENT 2: MEDIA LOCKOUT]
Now, the story EVERYBODY is talking about — Speaker Nadir’s media restrictions.
Only FIVE journalists allowed inside Parliament at any time. Reporters must surrender their national ID cards for temporary badges. And ONLY the government’s Department of Public Information can broadcast proceedings.
Stabroek News wrote an entire editorial calling it an ‘unvarnished assault on press freedom.’ Kaieteur News says Nadir’s ‘war on the press must be stopped.’ The Guyana Press Association called it a ‘direct attack on freedom of the press.’
Nadir’s defence? He says it’s based on COVID-era agreements from 2020. But here’s the thing — the Arthur Chung Convention Centre has MORE space than the old Parliament building. And the GPA says those agreements explicitly stated media would NOT be restricted. They were COVID-specific.
So why limit journalists in 2026, in a BIGGER venue, with no pandemic? That’s the question nobody can answer.
[SEGMENT 3: DIPLOMACY AND GREEN WINS]
On a brighter note — President Ali stopped in Panama after his Belize visit and secured a commitment from Panama to open an embassy in Georgetown. Panama also joined the Global Biodiversity Alliance.
And the government announced 9 million carbon credits for 2023 — CORSIA-eligible, meaning airlines worldwide can buy them. Guyana is the ONLY country certified to sell credits to the aviation industry. Third year running.
That’s real money. And Minister Browne says 14.5 billion dollars has already gone directly to Amerindian villages from carbon credit revenues.
[SEGMENT 4: SPORTS]
Cricket fans — the T20 World Cup starts FRIDAY! West Indies open against Scotland in Kolkata on February 7th. Shai Hope is captain, Daren Sammy is coaching, and we’ve got Hetmyer, Powell, and Holder in the squad. Sammy says ‘something special is about to happen.’
And massive respect to the Junior Lady Jags who HAMMERED St. Vincent and the Grenadines 14-0 in their final Concacaf qualifier! Alexaudria Chasles scored SIX goals by herself. Remember that name.
[SEGMENT 5: LOOKING AHEAD]
Big week coming up — Budget Debate continues through the week. Barbados goes to the polls on February 11th — 93 candidates, 30 seats, Mottley going for a historic third term.
And keep your eyes on the Oil Fund — it’s expected to receive US$2.8 billion this year. The question is how much of that stays in the fund.
That’s your Wednesday brief! Full articles on guyanadailybrief.com. For the pro-government take, check Uncle Ramesh. For the Caribbean roundup, read the Caribbean Daily Brief.
Stay informed, stay Guyanese! One love!”
[END CARD: guyanadailybrief.com | Subscribe]
RUNTIME: 3:45-4:15 (~650 words)
PRODUCTION NOTES FOR HEYGEN
Avatar Style: Professional but approachable, Caribbean-accented English
Background: News desk or modern studio setting
Text Overlays Needed:
- Headlines for each segment
- Key numbers (900,000 bpd, 53,000 house lots, 9M carbon credits, 14-0)
- Names (Bharrat, Rodrigues, Mustapha, Nadir, Browne, Panday, Solomon)
- Website URL throughout
Music: Upbeat Caribbean instrumental (royalty-free)
Transitions: Quick cuts between segments, slide transitions
Thumbnail Suggestions:
- 60-second: “PARLIAMENT EXPLODES 🔥” with split-screen Parliament image
- 4-minute: “BUDGET WAR + MEDIA BAN + WORLD CUP” with three panel design
- Use Guyana flag colors (green, gold, red) in graphics
Scripts ready for HeyGen production!