Gaskin admits the local economy is ‘challenged’
Saturday, October 17 2015, Source
MINISTER of Business, Dominic Gaskin, earlier this week, acknowledged that there are “challenges” facing the economy. The admission came during a meeting with United States Ambassador, Perry Holloway, at his office.
He identified some of these challenges facing the country economically and pointed to the need for the development of the value-added sector and increasing foreign investment in Guyana’s economy.
Gaskin also highlighted the importance of improving the ease of doing business in Guyana and pointed to the need of an automated processing system to handle business transactions with the Government.
Gaskin also conveyed to Halloway the role of the Ministry of Business in the economic development of Guyana.
Ambassador Halloway, for his part, pointed to the goodwill the new Government is currently enjoying, as well as the international attention it is receiving following its incident-free elections and recent oil discovery.
He also urged that the Government capitalize on this opportunity, re-iterating the US government’s commitment to working with Government to develop Guyana.
Several members of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), the former administration and now political Opposition, have bemoaned the state of the economy
Opposition Leader, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, during the budget debate, expressed the view that the measures in Budget 2015 are a recipe for disaster and are not enough to address the state of the economy.
“Budget 2015 is flawed, vague and vacuous….it does not respond to the concerns of the people. It doesn’t focus on those who are losing their jobs. It doesn’t focus on creating wealth. It focuses on redistribution of wealth…in two or three years’ time the economy will flat-line,” he warned.
Jagdeo maintains his contention that “the economy is slowing down” and the measures touted by APNU+AFC do not reverse this situation.
“This budget operated on the flawed assumption that you can tackle economic development by only dealing with one element of the growth equation. It is a fallacy,” he said, explaining that increase an in private investment, private consumption, government spending, and net exports equals an better Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“You will drive this economy into greater problem…if you want to move this country forward you have to respond to the needs of the people,” he stressed.
Jagdeo proffered the view that “the Minister has not tackled the key issues. He has it (his approach to managing the economy) philosophically wrong.”