Budget 2023 dismal

Jan 25, 2023 News

…Opposition Chief Whip chides Govt. over poor governance practices

Kaieteur News – Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones has described Budget 2023 as dismal while noting that it is a true reflection of the People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPP/C) inability to subscribe to good governance.

Jones made his comments on Monday during the first day of Budget 2023 debates being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Lilendaal. Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh last week revealed a $781. 9B budget the country’s largest budget. But according to Jones, the government has no interest in ensuring the equitable distribution of wealth amongst all Guyanese.

He said that the true test of good governance is determined by the ability to deliver on human rights, civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights.

Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones

“We don’t have good governance in Guyana. Corruption flourishes and too many Guyanese do not enjoy the protection of the law. Often our security forces seem to believe that they are a law unto themselves at a time when the framework of the law must apply to the entire society especially as it relates to the oil and gas sector we seem, sir to retrogressing into lawlessness and a mal administration,” Jones said in his rebuttal of Budget 2023.

The APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP) also pointed to the breakdown in the parliamentary functions as evidence of the PPP/C’s lack of interest in good governance.

“There is a clear need for us to make parliament stronger and more effective but the opposite is occurring. There has been irregular holding of parliamentary committees and the scarcity in sitting the National Assembly,” he said with the support of his colleagues banging their hands on their desks.

He continued: “The parliamentary oversight committee on security which is chaired by the Prime Minister of Guyana has never met; the standing orders committee and the instrument committee have all never met.”

Further, the Chief Whip said that the changing of the quorum of the Public Accounts Committee has resulted in the Committee not meeting on several occasions.

“Questions, motions, bills ad petitions brought to this house by the Opposition have never seen the light of day or never made it to the Order Paper,” Jones said alluding specifically to the petition taken to the House by Deputy Speaker Lennox Shuman to ask for a deferral of the passage of the Natural Resource Fund Bill.

“That petition was never read by this House, we were told that it would be read at another sitting but to date, it was never read,” Jones posited while accusing the PPP/C government of forcefully attempting to control every aspect of governance.

The Chief Whip posited that good governance cannot exist unless there is a productive relationship between the Government and the Opposition. (Rehanna Ramsay)

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Christopher Jones, Dr. Ashni Singh, Opposition Chief Whip, People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPP/C), Senior Finance Minister

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