People-centred development

Apr 12, 2012 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
The Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh has presented yet another Budget to the National Assembly under the theme “Remaining on course, United in Purpose, Prosperity for All”. The Finance Minister deserves full credit for the eloquent manner in which he made his presentation and for his calm and composure, despite some heckling from the opposition benches.
I suppose it had to do with his maturity and experience in budget preparation and presentation over the years and his intimate knowledge of the budget details and the knowledge and conviction that this budget, like all previous budgets presented by the PPP/C administration will further enhance the quality of life of the Guyanese people. It is truly to be described as a people’s budget.
As the Minister pointed out in his introductory remarks, the Budget comes to the House at an important juncture in our country’s history. For the first time, we have a situation where the governing party does not enjoy a majority in the House, even though by a tenuous one-seat margin. The Minister couldn’t have put it more succinctly when he said:
“ The political configuration that emerged from the 2011 elections, whereby the Party in Government does not hold a clear majority, is a domestic novelty even if similar situations have been experienced by other democracies the world over. This arrangement beckons our country into a new political epoch and heralds an opportunity for the nurturing of a new political culture. The prevailing dispensation will test and hopefully prove our resolve as a people, and within this House our respective will to serve as responsible representatives of a deserving people, to work together in service to the cause of national development.”
These are indeed words of wisdom which hopefully would be taken seriously by all members of the National Assembly who cherish the cause of a better and brighter Guyana. It would be counterproductive and certainly not in the best national interest if the Budget is used as a tool to settle political scores and even worse to frustrate the government and by extension the country’s development programme.
The opposition has a right and a duty to examine and interrogate the Budget Estimates. This is usually done in a very thorough and comprehensive way at the Committee of Supply where subject Ministers are often grilled on every aspect of details in the Estimates of their respective Ministries.  This means that Ministers must be familiar with the Budget details, even though the assistance of technical officers could be sought if considered necessary. It is the subject Minister who is however required to respond to questions posed by parliamentarians, quite a daunting task considering the size and complexity of quite a few Ministries.
This Budget builds on the gains made by the PPP/C administration over the years and aims to transform the economy based on the promises made by the PPP/C in its election manifesto and articulated by President Donald Ramotar in his recent parliamentary address. It seeks to lay the foundations for sustained growth and development which could have a transformative effect on the economy.
This Budget contained a number of characteristics which marked a significant departure from Budget presentations made under the previous PNC administration. To begin with, lots of emphasis is now placed on human development with significantly larger allocations to the social sectors, in particular health, education, housing and water. This is markedly different from what obtained under the PNC administration when the Budget was highly skewed in favour of the military and para-military, the Foreign Service and Office of the President, which failed to make any significant impact in terms of human development and in terms of wealth generation.
This budget, like all previous budgets, will not escape the wrath of opposition politicians who would seek every possible opportunity to, as it were, punch holes into the budget presentation. The fact that the combined opposition enjoys a one-seat majority should not detract from the bigger national objectives which the budget seeks to accomplish in this fiscal year.
The Speaker has an important role to ensure the smooth management of the parliamentary agenda. So far, he has displayed a fair measure of objectivity and balance, and the nation looks forward to a healthy debate free of acrimony and partisan interests.
This current configuration in parliament will put to a test the extent to which the broader national objectives will take precedence over narrow partisan interests. The Budget Estimates are well crafted, for which credit must be given to the Minister and his team of advisors. It is forward–looking and will certainly result in higher levels of sustainable growth in the economy and in the process, raising the quality of life of the Guyanese people.
Hydar Ally