Opposition under-whelmed
Stabroek News
March 30, 2004
ROAR leader Ravi Dev says Guyana's economic growth rate is not sufficient for this year's budget to make any meaningful impact on poverty reduction.
He spoke yesterday just after the conclusion of the reading of the budget presented to the National Assembly.
"Listening to the numbers, one fact that just jumps out at you is that the government is accepting that its economic policies are pushed by the Poverty Alleviation Strategy, but that strategy demands a growth rate of at least seven per cent to make a meaningful impact on our poverty levels in Guyana. And here the minister is accepting that growth is not even approaching one per cent," said Dev.
"Therefore he is accepting that the government's year-to-year budget without any [economic plan] will ensure that Guyana remains stagnated in economic poverty," Dev said.
Member of GAP/WPA Sheila Holder said that the economy could not thrive in an environment of bad relationships between government and the main opposition party, the PNCR, which boycotted yesterday's session. "If citizens of this country can't live in peace and they have the fear of being raped, beaten and pillaged then what is the point of the economy? To the extent that the government continues to ignore that reality we are playing a game of 'let us pretend'."
Another member of the GAP/WPA, Shirley Melville said that she hopes that the implementation of the provisions in the budget would have the sort of impact that she and others are looking for. "For the man in the street [the budget] is going to have a direct impact on our lives in the creation of jobs and I hope that will be a reality and that there will be a genuine improvement in the lives of Guyanese from the budget," she said.
Member of the PNCR, Jerome Khan said that the budget presented yesterday is based on economic numbers that do not mirror the true economy.
He said any projection of the economic growth of Guyana would be unreal as a significant percentage of economic performance in Guyana is tied to the narcotics trade, money laundering, remittances, massive local and overseas borrowing, and other forms of donor help.
"Until the government addresses its mind and will to grapple with the breakdown of the rule of law and implement effective measures to deal with good governance and the equitable distribution of the state's resources, no budget, regardless of its size, will instil confidence in the Guyanese citizenry."
He said that the cloud of doubt that hangs over the present government has already done irreparable harm "to our country, regionally and internationally". (Johann Earle)