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APNU’s Trotman hits hard on good governance and corruption
“What’s new?” This was the first question put to the government side of the house when A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) representative Desmond Trotman rose to address the National Assembly as the 2014 budget debate continued yesterday.
He concluded his presentation with a warning to the government, that, together with the Alliance for Change (AFC), “the 2014 budget will go nowhere, if the government does not rethink and re-work the country’s financial focus”.
APNU MP
Desmond Trotman
Trotman was alluding to what he described as a budget lacking comprehensive and objective criticisms. “The criticisms provide us (opposition) with an opportunity to reflect on and to reformulate some of the proposals and to re-present them in a more acceptable form.”
He stressed also that poor governance was contributing to some of the ailments faced, after taking up two specific issues relating to governance.
Trotman highlighted 10 requirements of good governance including; the timely sharing and disclosure of information, compromising, transparency and accountability, before pointing out that in terms of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
After relating that the 2014 budget is a regurgitation of issues addressed in the first and second year, Trotman expressed that corruption, drug funds and money laundering was playing a major role in the functions of the economy; specifically in the area of construction.
“Drug proceeds have been pouring into Guyana, and construction and other commercial activities have been the beneficiaries without any major arrests of the money launderers.”
This assertion was however met with disagreement from Tourism and Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, who requested House Speaker Raphael Trotman demand evidence from the APNU member to support his statement. The Speaker however ruled that the statement would be accepted since it was a general statement that attacked no one, adding that in light of data and statistics, the statement is quite true.
APNU’s Trotman stated also that while much praise comes to the five percent growth of the economy, this would have probably doubled had it not been for , “bad governance, poor project choices, corrupt contracting of incompetents; distortion of economic decisions, and cronyism among other things.
He charged that the receipt of workers’ remittances declined significantly, while international foreign exchange reserves at the end of last year, “only amounted to US$776.9million, equivalent to 3.9 months of import cover, compared to five months of import cover that obtained in the previous years.”
The APNU MP also noted that the Anti-Money Laundering legislation may have reduced illicit funds, while Guyana has not seen the establishment of a Stabilization Fund; that would boast the country’s resilience.
“One means of bolstering the country’s resilience is ensuring that all economic and social actors are involved,” Trotman urged, just before moving on to the issue of local government elections.
He emphasised that there is a great need to empower citizens, which can only be achieved by strengthening municipalities and neighbourhood democratic councils, and revitalizing economies in depressed communities with income and employment generation.
Trotman said that the Central Government has “waged war” against the local government organs, “by displacing, dismantling and disembodying same; refusing to make available expected fiscal subventions and declining to give permission for revenue-raising measures.”
With support from the opposing side of the House, Trotman demanded Presidential assent to the Local Government reform legislation for its completion and called for local polls this year.
Trotman stressed that his views have, “nothing to do with vindictiveness, but are formed out of the desire to take Guyana beyond where it is presently.”
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