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Budget for Office of the Leader of the Opposition slashed significantly
Kaieteur News – The Office of the Leader of the Opposition is claiming that its budgetary allocation for 2021 was cut significantly.
The Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon
The Office claimed that its budget request for current expenditure for 2021 was some G$92,227,881. However, the National Assembly only approved G$84,415,881. Despite having that sum approved, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, would have advised staff at the Office that the current budget for 2021 should be cut to G$37,000,000.The information was unearthed by this newspaper after hearing Opposition Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan, speaking of financial concerns regarding the Office in the public domain.
The Office of the Opposition Leader’s Spokesperson, Imran Khan
That led to this news entity contacting the Opposition’s spokesperson, Imran Khan, for some clarification. In a written response on Tuesday, Khan had informed Kaieteur News that the Office’s budget was significantly slashed.
He said that the accounting liaison staff at Parliament was also advised that the new figure of G$37,000,000 is what they have been instructed to work with, which solidified Isaacs’ utterance. He noted that the arbitrary and unexplained budget cut has removed 57 percent (G$47,415,881) from what was initially approved.
Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs
Moreover, he also informed this publication that the Office made a budget request for G$48,381,000 for its capital expenditure for 2021 but the National Assembly only approved G$19,750,000. According to Khan, that approved sum was also cut. “The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs, then subsequently advised staff at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition that the capital budget for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition has been mysteriously cut to G$5,000,000,” Khan told Kaieteur.
Yet again, he said, Isaacs did not disclose by whom the budget was cut and the accounting liaison staff at Parliament advised the Office that the new figure of G$5,000,000 is what they have been instructed to work with. “This arbitrary and unexplained ‘cut’ of the capital represents a 75% cut ($14,750,000),” Khan noted.
Given the disclosure by the Office, this newspaper contacted Isaacs on Wednesday to query the circumstances under which the budget was cut. He was asked whether the money was being withheld and the Office was just given $37,000,000 out of the approved $84,415,881 for now, or whether the $84,415,881 was indeed “mysteriously” cut. In response to the questions, he affirmed that he would not be commenting on the matter, adding that it seems to be “political.”
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