Budget cuts were like Freddy with his scissors - Rohee

Budget cuts were like Freddy with his scissors – Rohee

Apr 28, 2012 News

Gov’t says it has ‘bent over backward’ to the opposition

The government yesterday denied suggestions that it was playing hardball with the opposition in the inter-party talks. Minister Clement Rohee said that the inclusion of other stakeholders would be an option going forward.
Rohee equated the parliamentary opposition, which Thursday voted for a $21 billion cut in the budget, to the horror movie character “Freddy” and his scissors. He said the opposition adopted the view that it was either their way or no way, and hence the government was being told to “behave” and that they would get the money later if they do so.
Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali declared that the government had bent over backwards to the opposition. He refuted claims that the government was not willing to buy into suggestions by the two Parliamentary opposition parties.
Ministers Ali and Rohee were speaking at a press conference at Freedom House, the Georgetown headquarters of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C).
They suggested that the opposition parties – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) – decided on slashing $21 billion from the budget because they could not get their way.
Rohee said that the burden of prioritizing projects rests with the government and that it is the government’s prerogative to decide what the projects necessary for economic and social development are.
He said that the government has responsibility over the “national assets” and he denied that progress was not made in the inter-party talks.
Rohee said that in the first instance, APNU entered talks with the government already having increased the Old Age Pension.
Rohee insisted that APNU had decided on electricity tariff increases in Linden – a stronghold of the People’s National Congress/Reform, which is the main party in APNU. But the Minister suggested that pressure from its own supporters and from the AFC, caused the APNU to backpedal.
When the AFC joined the talks with the government, Minister Ali said that their demands for a reduction in Valued Added Tax (VAT) were not totally rejected. He said that it was explained to the parties that one of the first actions President Donald Ramotar took was to constitute a committee to look at the entire tax system, and therefore the work of that committee should go ahead.
Ali added that the government also suggested the setting up of a special fund for vulnerable groups, if it is that some groups were marginalized.
Rohee said that the situation reached a ridiculous point when the opposition suggested the nationalization of the Berbice River Bridge. He said that the days of nationalization belong to the 1970s and the current PPP/C government would not allow it because it sends a bad message to both local and foreign investors.
He said that the opposition was dabbling in cynicism to say that the monies which were cut from the budget could be had later through supplementary provisions.
To Rohee, that was the opposition saying: “If we see you behaving yourself, you can come back with a Supplementary (budget).”
Minister Ali said that throughout the inter-party discussions the government reached out to the opposition.
Rohee said that the true spirit of the talks and its outcomes were not being reflected and he therefore suggested that the talks be more open.
He suggested the inclusion of other stakeholders in the talks and goodbye to the closed-door negotiations.
“These talks have to be much more open,” Rohee declared.

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