Greenidge holding up budget talks – Dr Ashni Singh
March 10, 2013 By
– knocks SN article
Finance Minister
Dr Ashni Singh
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh said the stalled budget talks is the doing of APNU shadow finance minister Carl Greenidge and not him as was suggested in a Stabroek News article on Sunday.
Singh later described the article, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public on the matter of the ongoing budget talks between government and the parliamentary opposition.
According to GINA, the minister took specific objection to a paragraph in the SN article that reads: “He (the Minister) said Carl Greenidge of APNU wrote him a letter stating that the date set for the meeting was not suitable and offered to propose a suitable date. **The minister is yet to finalise this.”**
Minister Singh stated that the last sentence in that paragraph is the most shocking example of journalistic dishonesty and bears absolutely no resemblance to what he told the journalist who interviewed him on the matter. The finance minister said that he clearly told the journalist that he had written the opposition inviting them to a follow-up meeting some weeks ago. Greenidge subsequently indicated that he would be unable to attend on the date proposed, and Greenidge offered to suggest an alternative date. “Greenidge is yet to propose such an alternative date despite repeatedly undertaking to do so,” the GINA release added.
Minister Singh stated emphatically that to suggest that the meeting is held up because of him being yet “to finalise this”, whatever the ‘this’ refers to, is downright dishonest and a blatant attempt to mislead the public.”
APNU shadow finance minister Carl Greenidge
“The facts of the matter are as follows. The minister of finance wrote to the opposition on February 25 inviting them to a follow-up meeting on 28th February. On the evening of February 27, Mr Greenidge called to indicate that he would be unable to attend the meeting on February 28 and asked if the meeting could be rescheduled to accommodate his availability. The minister agreed immediately to accommodate Mr Greenidge’s request and asked Mr Greenidge to inform him as soon as possible when he would be available. Mr Greenidge undertook to do so. On March 3, Mr Greenidge wrote the minister asking him for 12 additional copies of the information that government had provided in preparation for the meeting. On March 5, the minister supplied the requested additional copies to Mr Greenidge and reminded him that he was awaiting his advice on when he would be available for the follow-up meeting. On March 6, Mr Greenidge responded, indicating that he will get back to the minister. Since then, there has been no communication on the matter from Mr Greenidge,” the release added.
Government said it continues to await Mr Greenidge’s advice on when he will make himself available for these important discussions. Any suggestion that the meeting is still to be held for any other reason is downright mischievous and dishonest, said Minister Singh.
extracted from Guyana Times
