Budget is for some –says Region Three MP

Apr 10, 2014 News

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A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) for Region Three, John Adams, has pronounced on the 2014 budget. He described it as a 2014 budget under the theme “making life better for some Guyanese” and not all.

According to Adams, the 2014 Budget makes very little provision for the ordinary public servants. He said that although there are no provisions within the budget for new taxes, the ordinary person will continue to struggle to provide a good life for his or her family due to the high cost of living.
He said that the new $10,000 education grant for every child cannot suffice for the small incomers, it will give more to those who already have “since the child whose parents can afford will get the same benefit for the child whose parents can’t afford and is struggling to send him or her to school.”
He said it would have been better if a feasibility study was conducted so the disadvantaged could have benefited from more than what is being given.
Adams questioned what is being considered for the nurses, the teachers, the men and women in uniform and the sweeper cleaners.
“They too desperately need an increase in salaries to make ends meet, a $10,000 non taxable grant on their wages and salaries would’ve been a good start in an effort to alleviate the hardships they face.”
He said that the Finance Minister and other Ministers should park their vehicles occasionally and go to the market places and the bus parks and hear the plight of the public servants.
They would be better equipped to make informed decisions when it comes to salaries for the “down trodden public servants.”
According to Adams there is very little for human development, “the most important resource of any country” in budget 2014. He said that even though billions of dollars have been allocated to the health sector one would be left in shock when visiting these medical institutions.
He said that only a few weeks ago the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) was short of some basic drugs needed to treat patients. He reasoned that “if the WDRH does not have medicine then it is logical that there would be no medical supplies at Leonora, at Wakenaam and at all the other health centers on the Coast and in the Region.”
The APNU Member of Parliament explained that the social services committee of the tenth Parliament visited Mahaicony Hospital in March and found a shortage of insulin.
“It begs the question if we spend so much money on drugs, how is it then that there is a shortage? Maybe it is time to zero in on the procurement process associated with drugs purchases for patient care.”
Adams said that the health institutions continue to be short of medical doctors and critical staff “although the government boasts of training umpteen doctors and nurses, one cannot help but wonder are we training health sector professionals for export?”
According to Adams the sugar industry is in rapid decline and despite the “astronomical” amount of monies being pumped into the sector it continues to fall short on its targets.
The added injection of billions of dollars he said is not the answer to GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) woes “for until we have the right kind of management GuySuCo will continue to go to waste.”
He explained that persons used to flock GuySuCo for jobs and pride themselves in working in such as institution but today this is no longer the case, in fact he said that due to inefficient administration many persons attached to the institution are now leaving. He said that if government does not act GuySuco “will be a corporation we once had.”
Adams then spoke to rice which he outlined is the agriculture crop of Region 3 and said that rice farmers are experiencing severe constraints within that sector. “On the day the budget was presented to this National Assembly dozens of farmers came from Region Two out of disgust to protest against the government for the hardships they are experiencing as a result of the clueless manner the state is managing the rice sector.
Rice farmers throughout our country are in dire need of a better staking industry by way of technical and economical support.”
He then spoke to education in Region Three which he said was not without its challenges even though new buildings are being built for schools there.
According to Adams, “We continue to see in the 2014 budget as in previous budgets, the machinations that will result in a wanton waste of money while simultaneously enhancing the gravy train of political associates for Government.
This historical revelation of an obvious absence for value for money regarding several road projects will intensify and the trend of work not being done to specification resulting in contractors becoming wealthier on the backs of the taxpayers.”

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