Budget debate 2015

– asserts APNU/AFC Govt’s “corruption”, “dishonesty”

By Michael Younge

Former Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali delivered what can be described as a ‘masterful if not fiery’ presentation on Monday while schooling newly-appointed Finance Minister Winston Jordan on economics and basic mathematics as the 2015 Budget debate got underway.

Ali, representing the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and speaking first during the debate at theseventh sitting, exposed what appeared to be “dishonesty” and recent corrupt undertakings of the new A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government which came to power back in May this year.

He started his presentation on a high note by expressing the PPP/C’s appreciation of the hard work, dedication and support shown by the country’s public servants and scores of young professionals during the Party’s tenure in office which aided in fast tacking Guyana’s overall development and growth.

Ali said the PPP/C wanted to record its concern during the Budget debate over the mass firings and dismissals that have been taking place across the country, as it was shocked that following the recent election, a new Government could undertake such partisan, politically motivated and ethnically-biased actions.

“The recent elections remind us how fragile democracy is,” he noted, explaining that his presentation on Budget 2015 was being made even as the PPP/C is holding out that it was cheated at the polls. Ali contended that if indeed democracy held sway, there would have been no objections to calls for recounts of ballots cast as this would further validate the results of the elections and inspire higher levels of confidence in the election machinery and the right of the new Government to govern.

 “The foundation on which you stand is questionable, confidence in you and trust in you is difficult,” Ali told the Government as he warned that the PPP/C will nonetheless continue to represent the people of the country.

 Taking his first jab at the Finance Minister during his presentation, Ali said he was shocked by the Minister’s post-electoral rhetoric on the State of the economy arguing that he has inherited a vastly developed Guyana which recorded nine years of continuous economic growth made possible by the PPP/C.

 “Winston Jordan must have learnt something under the leadership of Dr Ashni Singh,” he offered before questioning the current posture and actions of the Minister. Ali told Parliament that shockingly in just two months, the new Government has taken away over $1 billion of development from the Amerindian villages across the country, thousands of jobs and some basic aspirations of Guyanese people.

He said the new Budget, presented under the theme, “A fresh start to a good life in a green economy”, failed to address the issues of Private Sector confidence and the need for more domestic and foreign inflows and investments if any good life is to be achieved.

 He said a “good life” could not be achieved as the Budget was presented against the backdrop of workers in the bauxite industry being retrenched, a decreasing oil price without savings being passed on to consumers or any reduction in the tariffs, the absence of specialised health care, and a reduction of investments in almost every single administrative region except for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

Government Members of Parliament (MPs) started heckling immediately, but Ali skewered the actions of the new Government as he pointed out its subtle move to reduce capital estimates and spending in all of the regions that the PPP/C chaired which it won at the last elections by at least $800 million. He said the new Government had reduced the agricultural allocations in the Budget, cutting some $81 million of spending on this area primarily in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) which were won by the PPP/C.

He was concerned that the move now deprived these regions of important resources to keep them moving along the development trajectory and lambasted the new Government over its treatment of the country’s hallmark Low Carbon Development Strategy which he claimed was “laid aside”.

Ali added that there was “a lot of fluff in 2015 budget”, but no policy formulation to “give meat” to the statements made by the new Government. He urged it to continue to consult the PPP/C’s manifesto if it was interested in crafting a proper plan to take Guyana forward.

“Use this document and serve the people of Guyana,” he said as his colleagues nodded their heads in agreement.

Bankruptcy claims

At this point, the Government members burst into heckling and interrupted Ali until his presentation was completed.

The PPP/C MP also rebutted allegations made by the Finance Minister that the country was bankrupt as he contended that the statistics and financial figures presented by the Minister contradicted his own rhetoric.

 “The Minister is a visionary…..By the time he is finished, I am sure the economy will be bankrupt…he is a good visionary,” Ali said to smirks from both sides of the House. He contended that the economy grew by 300 per cent over the last couple of years under the PPP/C.

He said that it was not surprising that the Government may want to mislead the country as monies could be “earmarked for questionable projects or they have no idea of the financial status of the economy”.

Rice, investments

The former Housing Minister also called on the new Government to honour the pledge it made to deliver $9000 per bag of paddy along with the $23 billion in subsidies. Ali hinted that the PPP/C was aware that there was no real subsidy for rice farmers and attempts were being made by the Government to source the money through another mechanism.

“Where is the $23 billion … should the negotiations fall through … we will hold the Government responsible,” he warned.

He also called for the immediate establishment of a national paddy price system, while urging the Government to ensure that it maintained rice production above 600, 000 tonnes as well as continue to improve paddy yields and value-added processes.

The PPP/C Executive said that there were no new projects in Budget 2015 except for those initiated by the previous Government. He said the PPP/C wanted the Government to return the subsidies to the pensioners which amounted to $500 million, while immediately ensuring that the sugar industry received $20 billion to assist it in making a rebound.

He called on the coalition to also double the monies received by Old Age Pensioners as it had promised to do while on the campaign trail.

Additionally, the former Minister said that something was wrong with the new Finance Minister’s math ability as he did not give out increases that would benefit the poor in a big way as he said he did, but rather public servants who earn more will make 300 per cent more than other lower paid public servants.

Audits

Ali also waded in to condemn the new Government for the manner in which it went about conducting and recruiting auditors and forensic audits explaining that contracts were awarded without any levels of transparency or accountability.

“The illegal transfers to the auditors …no advertisement…no tender process…no examination of the qualifications,” he said, was something that would not sit well with the new Opposition in Parliament.