Govt. fumes over another round of ‘illogical’ opposition proposals… as disjointed opposition manifests with renewed calls to cut Budget

By Gary Eleazar

Source

The Parliamentary Opposition yesterday continued to reveal the fracture between the two parties as Alliance for Change (AFC) Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan, and A Partnership for National Unity (APNUs) Carl Greenidge both submitted motions proposing another round of cuts to the 2012 Budget.

APNU’s point man on Finances Carl Greenidge

This publication understands that each of the proposals submitted by the two opposition parties which have not been seeing eye to eye recently were prepared and submitted in isolation sparking a rush for ‘after the fact consultation’ with a view to consensus.

The cuts now being proposed by the opposition vary between parties but primarily focus on Office of the President and the Ministry of Finance.

In the APNU proposal Greenidge is threatening to cut the entire $6B subsidy that has been set aside in the budgetary estimates for the Guyana Power and Light as well as the programmes listed under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) to the tune of some $18B.

The AFC looks to deplete the GPL subsidy by $1B.

That $18B allocation includes amounts to finish the Amaila Falls Access Road as well as Amerindian land titling and the Amerindian Development Fund for village economy among others.

Greenidge’s motion, while it largely leaves the Government fiber optic/ICT programme untouched looks to make cuts from NCN and GINA as well as Contracted Employees at Office of the President.

Following the decision by APNU to withhold support when the AFC had indicated an intention to make cuts, Ramjattan re-submitted his second wave of cuts.

While Ramjattan’s proposed cuts include GINA and NCN there is a departure from APNU’s $18B threat to the LCDS programmes.

While the proposals have been downplayed by seasoned government and opposition politicians as nothing but ‘negotiating leverage,’ this did not stop the Government from lambasting the opposition party’s move.

At a hastily held press briefing, even before the House took its first break from the Standing Committee of Supply, which it has resolved itself to consider the estimates, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and his junior, Bishop Juan Edghill, aired their concerns.

At that briefing held in the Parliament Building’s Library, the three Government Ministers fired back at the combined opposition and requested an immediate recall of the proposals.

The Finance Minister used the opportunity to again remind media operatives of a commitment given by the government, when asked by APNU’s Volda Lawrence, of the possibility of working together on the budget.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

This he said, has been yielding fruit and pointed to one condition of the meetings where there would be the smooth passage of the budget ‘as is’ with no cuts.

“It could not possibly be in the national interest to cut the budget whimsically purely for the purpose of demonstrating political might.”

Speaking directly to the newly proposed cuts, Dr Singh said that it is, “astonishing that the opposition would think it appropriate that these areas merit downward adjusting.”

The Finance Minister told media operatives it “is astonishing that APNU would suggest a complete cut of the subsidy to GPL.”

He did draw reference to the fact that the AFC also submitted a cut which he said was without reason or basis but less draconian that the APNU proposal.

“Let me say that this is a measure, this is a proposal that runs directly counter to interests of the electricity consuming public which is essentially the people of Guyana.”

“We explained that the subsidy was made necessary by the fact GPL last adjusted tariffs since December 2007,” and fuel prices have since increased by at least 60 per cent with no corresponding increase in tariff by GPL, hence the subsidy.

“The Prime Minister has always been at pains to explain that a subsidy to GPL is not really a subsidy to GPL, but a subsidy to the final consumers of electricity.”

The Finance Minister expanded further saying that the proposal by APNU as it relates to GPL, is in stark contrast to its position taken on electricity and the people of Linden and that subsidy.

“APNU has most recently adopted the position that they are insisting that the electricity subsidy be preserved in Linden, holding in mind that electricity is virtually free in Linden.”

Dr Singh repeatedly emphasized his astonishment that notwithstanding the fact that customers of GPL pay significantly higher electricity tariffs than Lindeners, it (APNU) is promoting the retention of the subsidy for the Region Ten community and the removal of that from the other GPL consumers.

Dr Singh also spoke of an $18B cut that has been proposed by Greenidge which Dr Singh said would affect Guyana’s equity in the Amaila Falls Project and under programmes under the LCDS programme.

He said that this was quite puzzling where a bilateral partner would agree to fund a programme in Guyana and a local stakeholder would want to deny such an investment.

Dr Singh stressed that the LCDS programmes are being implemented with the assistance of key major international partners such as the Kingdom of Norway, UNDP and the World Bank among others.

Junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill also expressed surprise as some of the cuts to the Office of the President which he says would terminate the employment of hundreds and leave the President with only “Presidential Guards.”

Edghill questioned which President in the world operates with just his presidential guards and no support staff such as advisors and personnel such as the Head of the Presidential Secretariat?

“It is completely incomprehensible that the APNU would propose to cut all of the LCDS projects from the budget.”

Speaking to the cuts suggested by the AFC for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Dr Singh wondered who could conceivably argue against an adequately resourced Elections Commission bearing in mind the lamentations over the years?

He reminded of the lamentations each year about the fact that local government elections have not been held since 1994 but yet the AFC would want to stymie the possibility of this happening this year as a result of the cut.

Dr Singh reminded of a campaign promise to have local government elections held within 12 months of General Elections

The opposition want to destroy Guyana in the name of democracy but for them democracy means grabbing power. They want to stop the budget so people can suffer and when they suffer they will blame the government. But Guyanese are not stupid they know that AFC and APNU only want to cause trouble. When APNU done with Ramjattan and Gerhard they will never be able to rest in peace because the shame gon be too much.

Nah SUN-G, mi deh donk hay an' gah lil contaks in da PPP.  Dem bais knoo di story, nuff slush funds deh roun gatt dem PPP tiefing galore.  Dem AFC bais juss trying fuh tighten up tings lil but PPP mek am look laka war pon wukkin' peeple.  All abie know, PPP natt fuh wukin' peeple, dem fuh dem frens an' fambly.  Abie pon tap bai, so wiggle yuh ass an' save yuh soul.

Carl Greenidge = Rice Flour Bread, Linu up fuh Ile, Channa Dhal , Yam Curry and Breadfruit Curry instead of Aloo. Want more????

Ah dah wah mek yuh run way from Guyana.  Maan, alyuh lil *****.  Mi say hay and it nah kill mi and mi life sweet donk hay.  Wenn yuh come mi gon gi yuh lil yam curry, da ting good rass.

What time is the vote and how can I get it on the internet, while it is happening?

Sledge - here nah. If AFC want to tighten up wah mek they dont want to tighten Linden. Linden slack slack with the eletrick. The answer - because AFC lil bare face when it come to cutting and when it come to wah tight. 

It is grossly unfair for all taxpayers to cover, subsidize or be bailing out Linden for their electricity bills. Everyone should cover their own cost for what they use. if you cannot cover it don't use it. Use Gas lamp or Lanterns. I did it. It is the Government's role to make it accessible.

Mi tink dem AFC bais gatt wan tuff jaab, dem gafa deal wid PNC waan side an PPP ada side.  AFC cyant change tings cazz PNC want dem ackshun and PPP waan dem ackshun.  Guyana ah goa continue laka wan dysfunctional fambly, fite fite an' all bady juss run way.  Everybady a screw everybady, all good as lang as abie pon tap...ah sweet sweet Guyana.

Fully  in  agreement with  you  here!. There  are  far  more  depressed  communities than  Linden  all over  Guyana and  it  is  bald  face political/  racial  appeasement that  is at  the heart  of  these  subsidies. This  is  one  issue that  would haunt  the  AFC  for  a  long  time and  would  come back to  bite  them  in  the  ass in any  future  elections.

Another gross blunder of the AFC-2012

I agree on grounds that once the town was no longer supplied by the bauxite plant then the new suppliers ought to be compensated on terms no different from the rest of the nation.

Alyuh deh up deh and ah taalk sheer stupidiness.  Alyuh knoo da PPP and PNC gatt wan alliance.  PNC gon lowe PPP fah do wah dem want to coolies as lang as blackman get nuff freeness.  Wy abie coolies so stipid mi cyan nevva know, muss be dah rum an' cuttas mek abie so.

Leh PPP tek am way nah, see how qik dem goa loot, bunn donk, rape and kill coolies.  Abie pon tap, so alyuh sit tite an' wach we.

this is useless prejudicial racist bilge. No one gives away anything in Guyana to poor people of any ilk. It is the rich and kin folks of the PPP alone that are given the benefaction of the state.

Bai, wenn laass yuh come donk hay, nuff rich blackman gatt dem cool runnins.  Even mi lil dugla gyaal seh shi black fambly ah enjoy dem life donk hay, but dem still like PNC.  But psst psst, truth is dem nah raaly kay who rule.

Carl Greenidge is Mr. Donkey cart economist. It is shameful and disgraceful to see that the PNC has recycled this man who made Guyana the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere under his watch.

Very disgraceful.

The PPP has Maniram, Misir, Lumumba Nacimento and a long list of old PNCites so you are simply on the them vs your mangy dog rant. It is useless. Speak to what is actually unfolding and do not hope to disparage individuals on account of associations in the past or you miss the present. As you see, you are already on unsteady ground.