Latest update April 28th, 2026 12:30 AM
Clinton Urling faults the Granger Administration for poor planning
Dear Editor,
As we approach one year of the Granger Administration, and with a sluggish economy and persistent worries by the working and private sector class, one is left to ponder why hasn’t the government articulated a coherent and comprehensive economic vision for its current full term in office? Besides snippets of economic intention and remedies at the previous two budgetary presentations and disjointed remarks from various portfolio Ministers, we are yet to see presented to the Guyanese public a 4 to 5 year economic plan.
Instead of the ad hoc approaches and reliance on short bursts of cash circulation through periods of high consumer spending (e.g. Christmas, Easter, 50th Anniversary), the primary focus should be on identifying the main constraints facing our economy and applying the appropriate policy prescriptions to address those constraints in an order of addressing the most salient first. For example, it is clear that our primary and commodities sectors cannot be relied on and that diversification to high value added products are essential. The government needs to identify the main barriers to diversifying the economic basket and apply policies to address. This could mean the establishment of training institutions for entrepreneurs and manufacturers, working with commercial banks to reduce rates for manufacturers, establishing a development bank, offering tax concessions for manufacturers and new start-ups, establishment electricity exemptions and tariff reductions, etc…
Similarly, the public service wage negotiations should also be encapsulated in this long-term model and be concluded hastily. Instead of annual increases, a four to five years negotiated salary structure should be arrived at forthwith with the workers’ unions. Knowing this cost upfront helps to make government planning efforts easier. Many are nervous about the current state of the economy and the government is not doing us, or itself, and justice by not tackling this in a more strategic manner.
Clinton Urling
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