Latest update December 31st, 2024 3:30 AM
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Budget 2017 likely by December, says Granger
If all goes well, Guyana could have its 2017 budget by December.
This is according to President David Granger. The Head of State had let the proverbial cat out of the bag on this matter during a taping of the show, The Public Interest.
He was at the time speaking on the need for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to be established before the beginning of the next budget cycle. This starts on July 1. The President told this newspaper that his administration hopes to have the budget out by December 2016 but feels that the Commission must be in place by that time.
However, talks between the Opposition and the Government during the budget planning process have always been a sore point.
In the spirit of social cohesion and inclusionary democracy, Granger has called upon Finance Minister, Winston Jordan to establish early, a bipartisan committee for talks with the Opposition. He did so in the case of the 2016 budget so that the Opposition’s views can be reflected in it.
President, David Granger
When the Head of State served as the Opposition Leader, he and his coalition party encountered various “car crashes” with the past administration on the budgets. Given his desire for healing such wounds of the past, the President said that he does not believe that he would be encountering the same challenges since the new Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has indicated a willingness to be cooperative on certain matters.
The Head of State asserted that his concern is for the parties which make up the government to now have engagements with the PPP so that a true “multiparty approach” is achieved.
Granger said that all parties in the National Assembly must participate in the government, not necessarily at the cabinet level but at the bipartisan stage.
After the first meeting between Government and the Opposition on the 2015 budget, the Finance Minister had lashed out at the PPP saying that they brought nothing but accusations to the discussions.
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