PPP says 2014 Budget geared towards the masses

Apr 01, 2014 News

---

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in response to A Partnership For National Unity’s (APNU) pronouncements that budget 2014 is not forward looking or geared towards development  has announced that the 2014 Budget which was presented by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh is one that is geared for the people.

This pronouncement was made by the General Secretary (GS) of the PPP Clement Rohee who in substantiating his claim made pronouncements of different allocations within the 2014 budget that will be of benefit to the populace.
According to Rohee the 50 per cent increase in electricity tariff assistance to senior citizens and the five per cent increase in pensions in this year’s budget are most welcomed. He said that the “new electricity tariff assistance of $30,000 per year for pensioners is complemented by the subsidy provided for their water rates which was implemented some time ago.”
Rohee said that the introduction in Budget 2014 of the public school student cash grant to $10,000 per child is an effort to provide additional support to parents with children in nursery, primary or secondary schools, he also made mention of the free school uniform and school feeding programmes that are already in place.
“Similarly, the $1B allocation which is intended to encourage and promote more aggressively the emergence of entrepreneurial ventures in rural communities will result in job creation for young people, and continue to raise the quality of life throughout villages,” said Rohee.
The Party, he said, welcomes the measures contained in Budget 2014. These measures are geared to promote investments and tourism. “The $1B allocation for hinterland road development, including the Linden to Lethem road; the $800M allocation to establish a hospitality institute to build capacity in the tourism sector and the $100M allocation to dredge the mouth of the Demerara River, are visionary initiatives to attract investments, expand the economy and to create more jobs.”
According to Rohee, Budget 2014 also sees government continuing to prioritise resource allocations to the security sector with $19.5B budgeted, an increase in $2B from 2013.
“This is to increase human capital and to adopt more modern technology so as to strengthen capabilities of security sector institutions and communities alike with the underlying aim of maintaining law and order.
“This year, significant sums will be spent on training for the SWAT Unit and Joint Services ranks, training and equipping of Community Policing Groups countrywide and for the completion of the Forensic Laboratory and the upgrading of physical infrastructure. These allocations continue to vindicate the emphasis our Party-led government places on the nation’s security,” he outlined.
The General Secretary added that $700M was allocated for agriculture to increase competitiveness and resilience in the rice industry and for agricultural diversification “are indicative of our Party-led government’s dedication to assist farmers through various mechanisms across our country.”

Rohee mentioned that $3.7B has been allocated for capital expenditure support for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). Without this, he said that consumers would be forced to pay higher electricity tariffs.
“The fact that there has been no increase in rates over the last seven years is demonstrative of our government’s efforts not to bring to bear additional burden on our people. The $3.2B subsidy to electricity consumers in Linden is noted and is evident of the government’s efforts to insulate citizens financially.”
APNU has since criticized the 2014 Budget citing that the budget will only be approved with significant amendments.
Leader of APNU, Brig David Granger has said that the 2014 budget has “provided no solid plan for the poverty reduction, employment and social protection among other critical deficiencies.”
Among some of APNU’s  concerns were  the  widening income disparities of  the  rich and the  poor which Granger posited  has become  more evident in this current dispensation and is further compounded by the  escalating cost of  living.
Granger said that the 2014 Budget offers “no relief to the plight of the poor and vulnerable who include the aged and young unemployed men and women.”
Granger also said that the 2014 Budget makes no provisions for realistic job opportunities “for the thousands of school-leavers including dropouts and the large numbers of under-employed poor and rural dispossessed. Levels of pay and conditions of work for public servants, including nurses, teachers, defence and security personnel, must be reviewed. Economic changes have occurred but unemployment persists.”
He said that greater reform is needed for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to prevent a deeper crisis and a collapse of the scheme. “There should also be special attention to providing a ‘living pension’ for the socially vulnerable including old-age pensioners. The proposed level is inadequate.”
The opposition leader added that the 2014 Budget proposes another massive transfer of funds to public corporations such as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
“This will be resisted. There must be bipartisan agreement on appropriate reform and restructuring proposals in return for these transfers,” said Granger.
Rohee spoke of the opposition’s criticism of the Budget. He said that “the criticisms levelled against the budget by APNU [A Partnership for National Unity], is unsurprising. Our Party does not expect the Opposition, given their actions over the years, to commend anything that is meaningful towards the development of Guyana.
“Their unconscionable budget cuts of transformative projects and their attempts to cut jobs are hallmarks of their hypocrisy and their lack of concern for Guyanese.”

---

---