President should address serious issues relating to economy, crime - Former speaker - says nation frustrated with the increasing hardship and impatience is rising

President should address serious issues relating to economy, crime – Former speaker – says nation frustrated with the increasing hardship and impatience is rising

Oct 25, 2016 News

In his latest blog on the matters of the nation’s politics and Parliament, former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, was highly critical of President David Granger’s opening address to the last Parliamentary session.
Earlier this month, President Granger, delivered an address to the members of Parliament, outlining his administration’s legislative agenda.
These pieces of legislation address not only good governance and national development but crime and security, the recovery of stolen state assets and the pursuit of a ‘green’ agenda.
However, the former Speaker said that the President utilised the platform to make a political speech rather than address the issues affecting the nation.
According to him, there was a small amount of work on the legislative agenda.
“On the whole it was a political speech, long on political partisanship and short on the solutions to the grave problems facing the nation… Whoever caused the serious problems facing the Guyanese people, relating to the economy, crime, to name a few, the Government now has ownership of them.”
“It is commendable that the President has commenced the process of addressing the National Assembly at the beginning of every session.
“It should trigger advanced planning for a legislative agenda, the initiation of which the Parliamentary Management Committee had encouraged in times past, without much success.”
“But the temptation must be resisted to use the occasion to score political points. There are numerous opportunities to do so. And in fact a legislative agenda itself is an opportunity to make political statements by the quality of the legislative plans advanced by the Government. For this, the President can go high and still achieve a political objective,” he added
The former speaker emphasised that the Guyanese people are looking to the Government to solve these problems, not excuses as to why they cannot be solved.
“They are frustrated at the increasing hardship and impatience is rising,” he added
According to Ramkarran, there is no evidence that the Government has attached any importance to itself investing in Guyana’s economy or encouraging others to do so.
“The Government announced at the end of August that’s ‘almost nine months into the year, less that 50 percent of the 2016 National Budget has thus far been spent.’”
No serious explanation was given for this ‘unfavourable’ and ‘embarrassing’ situation. Since it does not appear to have happened before, the question arises as to whether the trained and competent staff under the past administration that had responsibility are still in place or have been removed or hounded out or have left of their own accord.”
While Government investment is slowing down, he said further that the last Government left projects on the table about which little is now being heard, or have been abandoned, or postponed. The biggest was Amaila.
In opposing Amaila when in opposition, the former House Speaker said that the President promised two or three smaller hydro projects.
“After fifteen months we have not heard a word about them.”

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President should address serious issues relating to economy, crime – Former speaker – says nation frustrated with the increasing hardship and impatience is rising

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