Resolution to budget cuts possible without elections
- Says Dr Luncheon
THE latest challenge in the national political arena revolves around the way forward after the April 16 budget cuts that saw $37.4B being axed from the $220B budget presented by the current administration.Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) Dr. Roger Luncheon indicated that calling general elections does not head Government’s list of considerations, even though it remains a possibility, as has been indicated by hints.
“I feel that this issue with non-approval of funding can be addressed without a resort to elections,” he said yesterday at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President.
Dr Luncheon added that, moving forward, the avenues that are being looked at include addressing the possibility of compromise.
“A decision about spending money may seem conclusive at the time of the passage of the budget, or even at the time of the Presidential Assent; but you are dealing with politicians, and the cut and thrust of the political process — and indeed matters more profound — have been resolved without resorting to extremes.”
ELECTION HINT
The latest hint of a move to general elections was dropped by General-Secretary of the ruling PPP/C party, Mr Clement Rohee, at a party press conference held minutes after the final vote had been taken to pass the 2014 Budget, minus $37.4B in allocations.
Mr Rohee had said: “I am optimistic that the President, Cabinet and ministerial colleagues will find a way out, and this way out will depend on the people’s will to overcome these difficulties.
“We have ultimately great confidence in the will of the Guyanese people, as they have demonstrated in the past to find their way out of difficulties. This wound (the budget cuts) will heal, and the people of this country will help us heal this wound.”
Mr Rohee, who is also Minister of Home Affairs, had noted in retrospect that it was obvious that the Opposition had come with an agenda to launch attacks against certain aspects of the National Budget. “This is what you can describe as premeditated attacks against the budget,” he had stressed.
The Opposition, according to Rohee, had known exactly what they were targeting. “Those targets unfortunately had the people’s interest at heart, so that whatever was cut by the Opposition, at the end of the day, it is the Guyanese people that will suffer enormously.
“This has to be our major concern. While we are also concerned about the behaviour of the Opposition, the overarching consideration is what it will mean for our people; and clearly, this cannot be progress,” Minister Rohee declared.
“This is a backward step and means more hardship for the people of Guyana,” he added.
Rohee had maintained, however, that Parliament is a forum for struggle, and the ruling party is struggling for and on behalf of the Guyanese people who voted in support of the party at the 2011 polls.
“We will never give up this struggle. The struggle will continue, and the people will continue to have confidence in the Government to find solutions to whatever difficulties arise,” he had said.
READY FOR POLLS
Additionally, at a People’s Progressive Party (PPP) press conference on April 14, Rohee had disclosed that, at the party’s Central Committee meeting, extensive discussions had taken place on local government and national elections.
He had said that the Party’s preparedness to face the electorate whenever elections are called had also been discussed; and during the caucus, much emphasis had been placed on strengthening the party, both organizationally and ideologically, in order to respond effectively to the challenges on the ground.
One of those challenges, Rohee had said, was the disposition of the combined Opposition, APNU and AFC.
For its part, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has indicated, through its recently appointed Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Mr Keith Lowenfield, that it is in a state of readiness for the staging of an election if one is called, be it local government or general elections, whichever is called first.
A budgetary allocation of $3.3B for GECOM’s administration and other related costs was approved by Parliament during its consideration of the National Budget. Of the allocations, $1.7B have been set aside for the Commission and $1.6B for elections’ administration. Both sums cater to employment costs of 337 employees and other costs; while $126.7M are earmarked for the provision of buildings, a trestle, vehicles, boats, engines, office furniture and equipment.
The allocation is intended to allow GECOM to exercise general direction and supervision over registration of electors and administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly, the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and local authorities in Guyana.
By Vanessa Narine
excerpts from the Guyanachronicle