2004 budget debate
Local govt reform report for submission soon Ramsarran hails health sector developments
Stabroek News
April 16, 2004
The Local Government Reform Task Force completed its work on the March 31 deadline and the report is to be submitted to President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin.
Minister within the Minis-try of Local Government, Clinton Collymore made this announcement during his contribution to the budget debate in Parliament on Wednesday, adding that soon a draft bill containing amendments agreed by the task force will be laid in parliament for its consideration and approval.
Collymore's afternoon presentation at the Ocean View Convention Centre was interrupted by a 5 pm mandatory break, after which he noted efforts to devolve power from the centre to the local government bodies, as well as amendments to several pieces of legislation.
Touching on the new local government electoral system, the minister said the constitution mandates that these elections be held in keeping with the new laws.
Collymore chided ROAR Leader Ravi Dev for not being attuned to the requirement that benchmarks have to be reached before monies are made available by international financial institutions.
Bheri Ramsarran
Collymore also reiterated that four more commercial centres across the country: Charity and Supenaam on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two; Parika in Region Three and Bartica in Region Seven would soon attain town status. He said several others, including the Region Four communities of Mahaica and Grove/Diamond; Rosignol in Region Five; Vreed-en-Hoop in Region Three; Mabaruma in Region One and Lethem in Region Nine Upper are under consideration for similar dispensation.
The minister listed plans for the development of sanitation facilities in several areas along the coastal belt including the proposed Eccles landfill site currently the centre of attention.
Collymore said the budget was a fair and honest appraisal of government's performance over the period. "This budget is better than before," he said, adding that the figures show more attention being paid to capital works among other key sectors.
Undaunted by the vacant PNCR seats opposite for a second day running, the minister said neither lack of dialogue nor trust was to blame for the empty seats. "We are the aggrieved," he lamented.
Collymore said the government was not afraid of criticism and challenged detractors to say what they will do to better the economy and from where they would obtain the money to service the schemes.
"This is an honest budget, there are no cover-ups, all our cards are on the table."
Collymore, who attacked the credibility of the opposition in relation to the rule of law, was at one point asked to temper his remarks by Speaker Ralph Ramkarran.
Former government minister and now PPP/C backbencher, Indra Chandarpal echoed Collymore's sentiments on the budget saying it showed a policy based on the continuance of macro-economic fundamentals as well as the development of new growth areas.
Pointing to the country's yearly climb up the UN human development index, the former minister said these positives could have been greater had there been a responsible opposition which didn't sabotage government's every effort.
Referring to the PNCR demands that the government adhere to the rule of law, Chandarpal quoted extensively from a human rights report of the early 80s relating to the Jonestown tragedy. She said there was no enquiry by the then PNC administration and asked whether this reluctance was tantamount to implication.
"Look who is taking about violations and death squads," Chandarpal cried, adding that it was the very PNC government which established the "Delta Sierra" or death squad operating out of the police CID branch blamed for killing 22 persons in that year.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Water, Philomena Sahoye-Shury said that despite the difficulties and not all aspirations of the citizens being met, the budget offered something for every class of citizen.
"More could be done... but Rome was not built in a day," Sahoye-Shury acknowledged.
Quoting from the international magazine Time of September 30, 1982, Sahoye-Shury said Guyana and the Dominican Republic were declared as bankrupt with widespread corruption existing. "That was a crisis," she exclaimed, while referring to remarks by PNCR Leader Corbin in a television broadcast where he had said that the country is in crisis.
The PPP/C, she said, had brought back democracy and the rule of law to the country and she lambasted some news media that she labelled mouthpieces for the PNCR.
PPP/C backbencher Dr Bheri Ramsarran restricting his focus to developments in the health sector said the budget addressed several basic things in the sector including equity, effectiveness and efficiency.
According to Ramsarran the document once perused in detail would show that significant sums are due to be spent in clearing hurdles to take medical care to interior communities.
He saw as positive developments, budgeted sums for the construction of a cold room to store vaccines and the purchase of boats and transmission equipment for use in the interior; facilitating the evacuation of persons from remote locations and the building of health posts in some of these communities.
He praised the government in anticipation of the opening of the new modern hospital in New Amsterdam, and another targeted for Linden.
PPP/C backbencher and representative for Region Two, Heeralall Mohan declared that drainage and irrigation structures in his region have seen tremendous improvements over the last years, so much so that they can be described as being the best in the country.
PPP/C MP Shirley Edwards spoke of the successes of several new housing schemes and others that are likely to soon become a reality. The debate was halted a couple of minutes before 8 pm.