Our Economy is stuttering – The U-Turn has been Costly
- APNU Spends on Themselves – Who is running the Country?
- 5 Pointers to Prepare us in correcting the Course
By Dr Peter Ramsaroop
Overview:
At all corners of our society, the Prime Minister’s recent comments were disrespectful and many would interpret them as being racist towards our Opposition leader. Had those comments been made in the “opposite” by a PPP MP, our nation would have been in an uproar. We have an Opposition Leader who is speaking up for 200000+ supporters, along the the leadership of the PPP.
We have to stand alongside them and put a stop to the bullyism that we have witnessed in the recent Parliament debates. The crime wave we are experiencing is affecting both our personal lives and our economy. We all predicted this, when the President pardon over sixty prisoners from jail without any justification, an act still beyond comprehension in addition to splitting in pieces the Home Affairs/National Security ministry.
The entire budget process was flawed. It demonstrated quite clearly that President Granger is not running the country nor is the Prime Minister. Ministers are padding their budgets for the remaining months of the year. Hundreds of known overseas supporters are like sharks, waiting for the sole sourced consultancies to provide, security systems, run the 50thIndependence Anniversary, redecorate all the Government offices, all of this being done while our economy stutters for energy. General Secretary of the PPP was spot on when he correctly assessed the first 100 days of the APNU government by giving it and F! The failure to create any excitement in our nation has sent our economy into a tail spin.
My April 6th 2015 Column (Below): Published in Inews: You Judged for yourself:
I am pleased that the Combined Opposition was given a chance to lead the 10th Parliament. They Failed. We learnt what kind of drivers they are. At each junction they could not figure out where to turn so they stopped and caused the system to back up as we say. The people of our nation had to suffer from the lack of implementation of key programs proposed by the PPP/C that would have certainly created the environment for all to benefit. Despite of the inept management in Parliament, the Government has been able to push the Vision of Growth and enabling the population to still have the opportunities its needs to continue to flourish.
We cannot do a U-Turn to 1985 Politics, that car is broken down and rusty. The senior leadership of the coalition is from an era that has long gone. The world, regional economies and approaches to nation building has changed. Economics is real time and key hardware elements such as infrastructure improvements to ensure areas such as Transport Economics is realized must be given a chance from 2015.
In addition, foreign investors and even Foreign Governments prefer a stable economy and we have that right now. So no U-Turn is possible. In the last 5 years of this decade, we have to work double time to ensure that the both the hardware and software elements of the plan are realized such as the deep water harbour, technology infusion in every region and other programs which the Opposition disapproved in the 10th Parliament in addition to the new and exciting programs being instituted in the PPP/C 2015 Manifesto. It is not about 2030, the vision is now, and it is about 2015-2020. Technology Industrial Complexes as we are seeing in Region 4 and Region 10 must be populated around the country.
I am excited to help present the 2015-2020 plan of the PPP/C during the campaign. Our people have realized that a U-Turn to the Opposition Camp with 1985 experience leaders will halt the nation growth and turn it back. Here is an old Guyanese proverb to those in the AFC/APNU camp that has benefited from the Stable Economy under the PPP/C government: “Lil Finger point to big thumb and sey nah guh” NO U-TURN.
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5 Things to Consider:
1. Don’t get hung up on the talk of “the Change”: The economy will continue to slide. Its best you hold on to your assets for long term gain. Consider putting your money into long term assets. You should be concern that savings in the Bank can devalue as our exchange rates go up. If you are in business, be cognizant of your supply backlog. With gas prices dropping, goods will become cheaper to buy.
2. Evaluate APNU promises carefully. For example: even though the Berbice Bridge toll was reduced by a mere GY300.00, the government has to subside that portion from our taxes. Therefore, a road, or school or as we have seen already, the GY10000.00 grant was cut.
3. Don’t Panic: As you have read in my above piece from April, this was predicted. We have to ride this through over the next few years. At no point in the Budget debate, did we hear about new investments, new revenues making decisions for our nation. Instead we heard about Luxury vehicles, 100M security systems for the President and failure by Government Ministers to explain where the money was being spent.
4. Don’t be NaÏve: You have to assess the 2015 budget to ask yourself honestly, if any of the 2015 budget estimates will infuse any stimulus in our economy. There were no Corporate or Personal Tax reduction, there were no investment in Cheaper Energy, and they were no concessions for new industries, such as Ethanol. Actually the opposite, we are now limiting immigration. For a nation to grow and learn new things, we should not be limiting investors and new talent. This will have the reverse on our economy become more stagnant, many will continue to leave our shores for greener pastures.
5. More to Come: Is the Minister of State really running our country? APNU supporters have become extremely quiet. The Media for the most part has become lackadaisical in their reporting. This is the reality we have found ourselves in. We have to be steadfast, ride the wave out, and be ready to regain our nation in order to correct its course once again.