Local Govt. Minister stonewalls questions on budget spending

Feb 03, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – The National Assembly on Thursday approved the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development’s $23,408,465,000 budgetary allocation during the Consideration of Budget 2024 Estimates.

The approval of the budgetary allocation was effected despite the newly appointed subject Minister Sonia Parag’s stonewalling of questions on budget spending.

Parag, who was supported by her technical staff, was questioned by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul on key projects the ministry identified for this year. Often times, the minister deferred the questions while at others, she provided unrelated responses.

Mahipaul referenced the $13.4B Community Infrastructure and Improvement project that caters to Community Enhancement Workers and the National Pathway Workers. This programme is geared at persons cleaning up and carrying out other remedial works in their communities.

According to the MP, Pathway Workers work for 10 days and receive an income of $40,000 while the community workers work 16 days and receive the same sum.

“Can the Honourable Minister explain why is it that the Community Enhancement Worker which is a programme that has been long in existence working for 16 days, and is receiving $40,000 and the National Pathway Workers work for 10 days and is also receiving $40,000?” Mahipaul asked.

In response, Minister Parag said that the two categories of workers are different and noted that the Pathway Workers require minimum qualifications as opposed to the Community Enhancement Workers.

“First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Honourable Member for recognizing the visionary leadership that we have in this government to ensure that the Enhancement Workers continue to do their job and continue to do it at their best. Now there is also a fundamental difference between the Pathway Workers and the Enhancement Workers. I will fully explain so that you [Mahipaul] will not leave here without the comprehension of that difference. And the Pathway Workers, we do require a minimum amount of qualifications from them which is different from what we require from the Enhancement Workers.”

Minister Parag said, “So we are also upskilling these persons further to be able to enter the work force and I don’t believe that you [Mahipaul] understand that so I’m giving you the benefit of an explanation.”

“Why is there a difference in days the service is offered as the Community Enhancement Worker and the National Pathway Worker?” The Minister responded by saying “the simple answer to that is that it is two different programmes,” Mahipaul questioned while stating that the $13.4 billion allocation also covers the rehabilitation of markets across the country pointing specifically to the Charity, Suddie, Leonora, Hydronie, Mon Repos and Kumaka markets.

The Opposition MP asked the Local Government and Regional Development Minister to disaggregate the sum that is allocated to each one of these markets.

In response, the minister said, “One of the ministry’s functions is to ensure that we do have functioning and well-established markets and it is a feature that is so not only common but beneficial to the communities especially like we are living in Guyana that we will work towards rehabilitating and so yes, we have placed sums in here for the rehabilitation of the markets, for example rehabilitation of stalls at Kumaka market, Mabaruma, we have placed a sum of $50 million.”

Not satisfied with the minister’s response, Mahipaul continued to question the budgetary allocation related specifically to the markets. After repeated questioning, the minister disclosed that $192M will be spent on the Charity Market.

Further, the Opposition MP reminded the Minister that the government has been repeatedly mentioning works on the Mon Repos and Parika Markets particularly in the 2021 and 2024 budgets. He asked, “How much money has been spent over the years”

The Minister, unable to prove the figure, said the government will continue to have the markets rehabilitated and sought to assure the vendors that the projects will be completed soonest.

Meanwhile, during the Consideration of Estimates, it was disclosed that as part of the Ministry’s $23 billion allocation, $10 million will go towards the purchase of furniture and equipment, $5 billion for the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) projects and programmes, $1.2 billion for solid waste management interventions, and $1 billion for capital subventions for municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).

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• Budget Allocation, Ganesh Mahipaul, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag, stonewalls questions

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