PNCR renews call for a tri-partite APNU-PPPC-AFC budget committee

Sep 09, 2012 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

A Partnership for National Unity has repeated its call for the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration to establish a tripartite APNU-PPPC-AFC budget committee.
Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger, had first issued the call to President Donald Ramotar to establish such a committee in December 2011. He pointed out then that A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change, together, had won 33 seats and the People’s Progressive Party Civic won 32 seats in the National Assembly in November 28, 2011 general and regional elections.
The PPPC never seems to have accepted the reality that the days when it enjoyed the ‘winner-takes-all’ political jackpot are over. The country had entered the era of inclusionary democracy. This demanded a new, inclusive understanding that “we are all in this together” instead of the old, exclusive notion that “we will do it all by ourselves.”
The PPPC, rather than accede to APNU’s request, proceeded to craft and draft Budget 2012 in a unilateral manner. That Budget, failed to give adequate consideration to the majority concerns and, as a result, there was a collision between the Opposition and the Administration in the National Assembly.
The PPPC administration, since December 2011, has continued to demonstrate that it is badly out-of-touch with the reality of the actual needs of the people and the conditions in the country. It has ignored the need to alleviate poverty, reduce the burdensome cost-of-living, increase the availability of jobs, improve the quality of education and enhance human safety.
APNU has always pointed out that the Budget, like every other, is a plan – a national financial plan. The Budget has to deal with several levels of life – personal, local, regional and national. It has to deal, also, with several aspects of public affairs – cultural, social, political and economic.
The presentation of the national Budget, arguably, is the single most important, annual, parliamentary responsibility. The Budget, therefore, is too important to be left to a single political party. The entire National Assembly has an obligation to deliberate, discuss and determine what measures need to be adopted to ensure the happiness of future generations of Guyanese.
Such a complex plan necessitates real consultation, collaboration, cooperation and consent especially among the representatives of the people who were elected for that very purpose.
APNU demands that Budget 2013 confront the challenges facing the people. It must provide sufficient opportunities for jobs for young persons. It must introduce meaningful measures to reduce poverty. It must reduce the cost-of-living for the majority of the population by reducing the burdensome value-added tax. It must increase salaries for nurses, teachers and other public servants and it must increase public assistance and old-age pensions, significantly.
Budget 2013 must provide adequate funding for the University of Guyana, the Cyril Potter College of Education, President’s College and all other institutions of learning in the country. It must provide adequate funding to enable the Police Force to counter serious crime.
It must provide adequate funding to upgrade administrative centres of the hinterland regions in order to improve the quality of life of our citizens living there.
Budget 2013 will succeed and avoid the perils and pitfalls of Budget 2012 only if there is adequate, prior PPPC-APNU-AFC tripartite consultation. The PPPC no longer has the moral authority, credibility or capability to produce a budget on its own. There must be a new, collaborative approach to crafting the national budget if the people are to see real change in their lives.
There is no way the country could move forward with another budget like that of 2012.

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