Budget talks update… : Finance Minister takes opposition to task for misleading nation

Written by Admin3, Saturday, 09 February 2013 22:49, Source

FINANCE Minister Dr. Ashni Singh yesterday took the parliamentary opposition to task for attempting to prejudice public opinion on the nature of discussions it has been engaging in with the government with  regard to the 2013 national budget. During a media briefing at the National Communication Network’s (NCN’s) television studio, Dr. Singh cited two articles carried in the Stabroek News: the first, published on November 29 following the first meeting, and the other published in yesterday’s edition following a meeting on Friday.

He noted that a meeting was first convened with the opposition parties on November 22, at the end of which he was pleased with the tone of the engagement.

“I thought that we were speaking in an environment that is mutually respectful. Useful suggestions were made, I think, (and) useful and informative responses were offered,” Dr Singh said.

But regrettably, one week later, an article headlined “Opposition making budget proposals, doubtful about inclusion” was published in the Stabroek News.

Dr. Singh said that at Friday’s meeting, he had pointed out that such pronouncements -- introducing skepticism about whether particular suggestions would be included or not, and pre-empting the outcome of the discussions -- were not helpful to the discussions.

Nevertheless, he noted, another headline appeared in the Stabroek News, “Opposition lukewarm on budget meeting with government”, which was published yesterday.

He said that article quoted A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Mr. Carl Greenidge conveying the impression that the opposition is somehow lukewarm on the budget and budget meetings.

“Just as I was concerned of the first article, I am equally concerned of this response; because I don’t believe that such public pronouncements -- trying to prejudice the public perception of the nature of the discussions -- I don’t believe such an attempt by the opposition is helpful to an open and frank discussion that is built around trust and mutual confidence,” he asserted.

Minister Singh emphasised that it leads to the conclusion that the opposition is not really interested in meaningful engagement on issues of importance, but is rather more interested in political gimmickry.

“I can indeed arrive at no other conclusion; because if one were interested in an open and frank discussion, then one would not attempt to prejudice the discussions by introducing such negativity,” he remarked.

Nevertheless, he stressed, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government remains committed to being open-minded in discussions surrounding the budget, and to listen to every suggestion made.

He pointed out that the government is under no illusion that the parties involved would agree on absolutely every detail, but he assured that government stands willing to listen to every priority identified by the opposition.

“We’re willing to respond to it, to explain what we believe is practical and what we believe is not practical; and we will remain that way, notwithstanding the opposition’s evident negativity about these discussions, and their evident attempt to derail these discussions and to prejudice the public perception of the tone of these discussions,” Dr. Singh stated.

He said he could not fathom why opposition members would say they are lukewarm on the meeting when, in fact, they were anxious to find out when the next engagement would be, and when in fact they had several questions in request for additional information, which the government intends to supply.

He further advised that when the first article was published, he did not comment publicly on it, but rather raised the matter privately in the meeting on Friday.

“I said to Mr. Greenidge, ‘such negative pronouncements are not helpful’. Rather regrettably, Mr. Greenidge appears unwilling to change his ways, and he has made a second foray into the media, conveying clear negativity about the tone of these discussions,” Dr Singh reiterated.

However, Dr. Singh said the government would continue to listen, not only to the parliamentary opposition, but to other stakeholders as well; and that government would continue to be earnest in crafting a budget that serves both the immediate and long-term needs of Guyana.

He noted that a number of suggestions were made by the opposition; and according to him, some were very specific whilst some were extremely vague.

He said the opposition was therefore advised that the government would require an opportunity to discuss those suggestions in greater detail; and further, if the discussions are to be useful, there would have to be a willingness to add details to some of the vaguer suggestions.

He also said the point was made that, working on the assumption there would be no dramatic deviation from the fiscal path in 2013, it is reasonable to assume that every major initiative introduced would have to be accompanied by some discourse on how that initiative would be financed.

“So, if the opposition comes with a proposal that will involve additional expenditure, we indicated that, for us to really have a serious discussion, there must equally be a willingness to speak about how that proposal will be financed: whether there will be compensatory measures, whether there will be additional accompanying initiatives, etc., to ensure that we have practicability; that we can finance the initiatives that are being recommended,” he explained.

The minister emphasised that the government places great value on its engagement with any representative stakeholder, and that such engagement is approached with open-mindedness.

Meanwhile, speaking more generally on the 2013 budget, Dr. Singh declared that the government operates in an environment of policy continuity and predictability, which is to say that one does not witness major shocks, dislocations, or deviations from budget to budget.

He noted, for example, that budget 2013 will continue to emphasise the preservation of macro-economic stability.

He said that Guyana has been regionally and globally recognised for the magnitude of its accomplishments relative to sustained economic growth in an extremely hostile external environment, which requires a certain macro-economic framework to be in place.

He disclosed that the government’s plan for budget 2013 is to ensure the preservation of that macro-economic framework that will see continued real growth in gross domestic product (GDP); containment of inflation within acceptable norms; continued stability with exchange rates and interest rates; continued efforts to manage the country’s indebtedness within sustainable levels; and preservation of external balances to ensure that there are adequate external reserves to sustain any external operations of the economy.