Bhookmohan calls Budget 2000 'investment friendly' Guyana Chronicle April 6, 2000 CONSULTANT to Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association (BCCDA), Mr Ramdial Bhookmohan has lauded Budget 2000, describing it as "investment friendly". He said detractors of the Government, who dubbed it an "election budget", are doing so because of their tradition to oppose. "It is an investment friendly budget because there are now new taxes and, if such a budget can demonstrate the will of the Government to attract investors, we can see the beginning of a new Guyana," the New Amsterdam hotelier said. Bhookmohan suggested that politicians should focus on issues and not merely their own political agenda, especially since they represent constituencies. The businessman, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, said he is looking forward to implementation of the policies outlined in Parliament and hopes that national support would prevent acts of sabotage against the budget as was the experience in recent years. Meantime, the Administration should make the development of human resources a priority, because the country is suffering from "an acute brain drain", Bhookmohan said. He said there is need for importation of more text books, as well. Bhookmohan said he is surprised that the authorities have allocated subventions to municipalities "although there has been no real accountability by some of these bodies for many years. "I want to recommend the withholding of these subventions until a proper audit is done by the town councils," he said, while praising the People's Progressive Party/Civic Government for the $1 billion to boost the housing drive. Bhookmohan declared that the time is opportune for consideration to be given the establishment of an investment bank. "There is need for a banking system which can give low interest loans for investment, so businessmen can compete on both the domestic and external markets," he remarked. He said he supports the creation, too, of a stock exchange which can force persons to move away from the traditional family business system to larger operations.