Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
Despite Opposition’s criticisms… Harmon insists 2019 budget “addresses needs of the ordinary man”
While the political opposition holds the view that budget 2019 is “visionless” and “tone-deaf”, the Government says that nothing could be further from the truth.
Specifically making this comment yesterday was Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during his post Cabinet meeting with the press.
With reference to the descriptions given to budget 2019 by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, the Minister said, “I believe Minister (Winston) Jordan has good eyesight and so does government. I believe we have 20/20 vision, not specifically looking at 2020 in any way, but I believe that we see clearly. We hear the cries of the people and we are not deaf to their realities.”
Harmon said, too, that the budget is one which focuses on the people, one that allocates significant funds for the processes and the services needed by the ordinary man. He said it is a budget that deals with education as a primary focus. In fact, Harmon noted that the 2019 budget allocates $52.2B to the education sector.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
In this regard, the Minister of State asserted, “You would recognize that it (the education sector) has the largest chunk of the budget…So to say it is visionless, maybe when we go to Parliament, I will ask (Minister of Social Cohesion) Dr. George Norton who is an ophthalmologist, if that person needs spectacles or if they need to go somewhere else.”
ZEROING IN ON DEVELOPMENT
It was on Monday that Minister Jordan noted that the 2019 budget signifies a strategic shift in the trajectory of the nation’s development, as the Government seeks to responsibly use the resources from petroleum to create new industries and jobs.
The economist said that budget 2019 prioritizes institutional strengthening across sectors, including public investment management; expanding opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish; and supporting Government’s green economy initiatives while aiming to support the development of the non-oil sector.
The Finance Minister said that diversification is the core of what is required to accomplish these goals and, is even more important in the face of oil, especially to ensure that the non-oil sector flourishes and thrives, so that when Guyana’s petroleum reserves are depleted, the country can stand strong on a foundation that is diversified and resilient.
Further to this, Jordan said that Budget 2019 also zeroes in on the human side of development, with substantial resources dedicated to uplifting health and education, pure water supply and sanitation, driving the decent housing agenda, green energy, improving the drainage and transport networks and youth development, among other areas. He said that all of this will be done in the context of improved macroeconomic fundamentals and sound public finances.
Additionally, Jordan said that the shaping of this budget benefitted from inputs derived from an expanded pool of private sector bodies, non-governmental organizations, civic groups and ordinary citizens.
For 2018, the Minister of Finance undertook several visits to manufacturing and other firms, to get a first-hand look at their operations and to glean a better understanding and appreciation of their challenges and difficulties. As such, Jordan noted that the 2019 budget was able to benefit from those interactions and the many suggestions proffered for increasing production, boosting exports and improving the business and investment climate.
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