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AFC MP calls for a more socially grounded Budget
…says a little for everyone is still too little
Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Valerie Lowe in her 2014 Budget presentation spoke to the social ills afflicting society which she says the Budget does not address.
The parliamentarian made mention of the old age pension stressing that for the majority of elderly persons who are sick and cannot work, an increase of $625 is “quite shocking and disappointing to our senior citizens who have each contributed to the building of this nation for 50 years and over” especially when contrasted against the rising prices of commodities.”
AFC MP Valarie Lowe
She also spoke to the need for the building of the retirement village for the elderly, which she posited should offer lifetime “housing and social activities and levels of care as the needs change for our elderly.”
She also said that the facility should be made available to senior citizens whose families have to work to provide for their families and cannot stay at home and look after them. She outlined that the facility should also be available for senior citizens whose families cannot afford to take care of them.
Lowe also spoke of the $20,000 per year electricity concession that is only available to persons who have meters in their names. She recommended that the money be expanded to senior persons who don’t have meters in their names “we in the AFC believe that the pie must be shared equally.”
Speaking to the Government programmes in place aimed at benefiting women, the
The AFC Member of Parliament lauded them, noting that they allow women to be empowered.
She however stressed that a lot of women are unaware of these programmes or how they can access them.
In this regard she called for sensitization programmes to be in place.
She lamented the fact that domestic violence has risen to frightening proportions and stressed the need to find out find out why this is so.
Lowe expressed that the amount of murder and rapes are astounding and expressed the need for information to be shared with APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and AFC to aid in the fight of protecting women.
She said that a Ministry of Women Affairs is needed to research and fashion better policies to increase their (women) safety and economic development. She posited that women are bearers of strength and stability in any country and stressed that more women in leadership positions would auger well for Guyana.
She also addressed men who she said are equally important and expressed happiness that there is a functioning Men’s Affairs Bureau.
Lowe did say however that there needs to be the creation of anger management programmes for men. She articulated that “many of our men are out of control judging by the crimes they commit against their loved ones and strangers as well. One can safely conclude that they are mentally and emotionally unstable.” She stressed the need to truly ascertain the cause of such beastly behavior and recommended a national conversation to address the issue.
She pronounced that “clearly our men are severely stressed in the home and most of it has to do with finances. In most cases in our vulnerable families there is not enough money to last through the month causing our men to suffer from helplessness and depression… much more has to be done for our men.”
According to the AFC Member of Parliament “our men need to earn a minimum $70,000 per month tax free.” She then said that “the little for everyone in the Budget is still too little for our vulnerable families and its taking a toll on our men.”
She posited that her Party has the interest of “ children, youths, our women and men and our elderly at heart” and as such will support allocations for projects and programmes to benefit all Guyanese rather than a few. She reiterated that wasteful allocations will not be approved.
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