Guyana has increased debt capacity – Dr. Luncheon

Jul 26, 2013 News

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…it is now more creditworthy

Guyana could entertain more debt. Because of the country’s creditworthiness, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) are willing to lend, declared Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon.

“Yes… why we can entertain further debt is because the man who’s lending you the money said yes.”
He made this assertion during his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President on Wednesday.
Luncheon was at the time responding to a query as to why Government wants to significantly increase the external debt ceiling from $1B to $150B.  Whilst emphasizing that debt and the debt ceiling are different, Dr. Luncheon took to task a recent correspondence by Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member Moses Nagamootoo on the raising of the debt ceiling.
The Joint Opposition, AFC and A Partnership for National Unity, voted down the Bill increasing the external debt ceiling from $1B to $150B in the National Assembly on July 18.
In early June, it was reported that Government was looking to increase the limit on total guarantees that can be issued under the Guarantee of Loans (Public Corporations and Companies) Act.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the proposed increase in the guarantee limit follows on the commitment to the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, which will reportedly cost US840M.The increase seeks to guarantee that Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) honours its financial commitments under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to be entered into between the Power Company and Amaila Falls Hydro Inc (AFHI).Under the PPA, GPL commits to purchase the power from Amaila for an average annual capacity payment.
According to Nagamootoo, the debt ceiling has everything to do with GPL, as the guarantee would open the gate to borrowing by GPL in connection with the Amaila Falls Hydro Project.
“When taken, the additional $150 billion would send up our national debt in nominal Guyana dollars to some $530 billion, more than double of what it has been under the PNC government, up to 1992. This government has already absorbed some $57 billion debt contracted by public corporations and companies which has been charged to the Consolidated Fund, or simply put, has to be paid back by taxpayers, now and in the future, who would have to forego future happiness to meet debt servicing and re-payments.”
According to Dr. Luncheon, “Debt is what has happened and the debt ceiling sets a limit beyond which you statutorily define you should not go. I have seen Moses’s correspondence on this matter. He hasn’t changed much… PPP Moses and the AFC Moses.”
He said the reality of the matter is that Guyana has been engaging in the world of high financing with agencies such as the IFIs, with whom Guyana has debt arrangements.
“We have been borrowing and they (IFIs) have over the years provided stricture. They have provided us with best practices. Best practices I am quite clear that Moses seems to be totally unaware of…how to assess debt, how to treat debt. His writings recently betray even an elementary familiarity with the IFIs on the debt issue.”

According to Dr. Luncheon, when the PPP/C took Office in 1992, the debt issue was very important since it contributed to uncreditworthiness of the nation.
“And we had to take pains to resolve this debt issue. And we did. We worked with the donors, the people who lent us money. And, the work was done assiduously, the work was done in consonance with the best practices from the IFIs and we regained creditworthiness, so much so that the Moses of this world could rail, but the man who does lend money doesn’t rail, he’s willing to lend… quite different from 1992.”
Dr. Luncheon said financial institutions are lending Guyana now because of analysis and statistics.
“If Moses wants to talk about debt…if any of us want to talk about debt, get the books and read li’l bit…try to understand the fundamentals and don’t be shooting your mouth at nonsense. You look stupid and you would just look stupid and make the whole world know you ain’t know,” he added.
According to Dr. Luncheon, Government has established debt servicing principles in the Ministry of Finance, accorded itself with the best information available, trained professionals, and maintained debt sustainability ratio and features that allow borrowing.
“…And borrow when you go and read every year the IMF comes here and they do their consultations…They speak to the issue of debt sustainability. Can we entertain further debt? What impact does it have? What are the ratios, the debt on our export earnings…debt on our GDP? Ask Moses to speak about such matters if he wants to intrude on the world of high finance,” he said.

 

 

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