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A concern over some public spending
Dear Editor,
In the face of critical observations that the Guyana economy was underperforming and was being mismanaged, Finance Minister Winston Jordan in May 2016 went on the defensive and told the people of Guyana that “the economy is in good shape”. Jordan said then: “It is not a doomed scenario. We are doing reasonably well and we will continue to do well.”
Between May 2016 and May 2017, Guyana’s gold reserves fell by almost 10 billion dollars, from $14,498,200 to $5,219,500. Between 2015 and the present, the US dollar foreign reserve at the Bank of Guyana fell from US$800 million to under US$550 million.
Recently, Finance Minister Jordan was forced to declare that the economy was in decline. Christopher Ram, financial analyst and political commentator captured government’s financial policy as one of “ spend, spend, spend, borrow, borrow, borrow.”
It was in this context that former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill noted that a huge demand for foreign currency to facilitate the travel of a Government consisting of 27 Ministers and dozens of technical staff would lead to further depletion of the country’s foreign reserves.
Referring to funding to meet the foreign travel of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo helps the average Guyanese person to understand the true import of Mr. Edghill’s comment.
In October 2015, Prime Minister Nagamootoo, together with Minister Trotman and a Mrs. Tamara Evelyn Khan were provided with approximately $660,000 for accommodation and meals for a three-day visit to Mexico.
In December 2015, the Prime Minister and the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs travelled to Paraguay. The Prime Minister told the National Assembly on the 17th November 2017, that the Government of Guyana paid all their expenses associated with the trip in the sum of US$3,900.
Of this amount the Prime Minister explained, the sum of US$2000 was approved for contingencies. That would leave a balance of US$1,900. Airfares he explained cost $699,603. But $1900 US could not yield $699,603. The Prime Minister’s figures did not add up and the National Assembly did not detect his “nagamatics”. (see Hansard, 72nd sitting of the National Assembly, Friday 17th November 2017.)
In January 2016, the Prime Minister and his wife Lady Sita Nagamootoo, holding hands, attended the launch of the Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary of Guyana in Queens, New York. A security/protocol officer accompanied them. Government paid all expenses amounting to US$2,400.00 plus $G982,675.00. The Prime Minister was provided with $ US 4,200.00 for accommodation, meals and out of pocket expenses plus US$1,000.00 as a contingency allowance. The total disbursement for this two-day trip approximates to almost $2,540,675. Of course, the Prime Minister does not have to account to the Ministry of Finance for the expenditure of this sum.
In November 2016 accompanied by his wife Lady Sita Nagamootoo and his personal assistant Ms. Deann Ali, the Prime Minister travelled to India for three days and was provided with the sum of US$5,600 for intransit accommodation and meals. That sum is approximately $1,148,000.
Allowing for intransit accommodation of two nights by two rooms, that accommodation would approximate to about $143,500.00. Even if that figure is doubled to $287,000.00 , that would leave the Prime minister, Lady Sita and Ms. Ali with the sum of $861,000.00 for contingencies and food over three days !!!.
Then in May 2017, when Prime Minister Nagamootoo visited Guadeloupe, he was accompanied by Lady Sita Nagamootoo. They were provided US$1,250 for out of pocket expense and meals. Allowing for out of pocket expenses of US$300.00 that would have left the Prime Minister and Lady Sita nearly US$900 to spend over three days on food !! One recalls the public declarations of Prime Minister Nagamootoo that he never travels first class and never stays in five star hotels because of his conviction that such expenditures could be applied to doing so much for the poor people of Guyana.
I have identified only one Government functionary and the expenses related to some of his travel. Little wonder that our economy is in the state it is in. Now, the expenses related to the Prime Minister’s travel related expenses are what he himself would describe as “Fat Cat “ style living.
Now we understand that it is the privileged few who are in Government who are really enjoying the good life while the working class continues to beg the rulers to give them decent wages
Sincerely.
Selwyn Persaud
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