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‘Govt. priorities mixed up’ – Norton says roads, bridges replace citizens’ welfare
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Aubrey Norton
Kaieteur News – With over $200 billion allocated for roads and bridges this year, Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Aubrey Norton, has criticised the government’s focus on infrastructure spending, arguing that the funds could be better utilised to provide public servants with a livable wage.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Norton accused the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of prioritising projects that benefit a select few whiles neglecting the broader population’s needs.
“The PPP, as we know, is hell bent on spending the bulk of the country’s revenue on infrastructure projects in the false hope or wishful thinking that this expenditure will trickle down to the masses. It has not and it will not,” Norton said. To this end, he stated that the current administration’s strategy primarily benefits “cronies and party leaders,” leaving the majority of Guyanese to grapple with poverty and high cost of living.
Moreover, Norton outlined his party’s approach to national development, which he said would put people at the center of the agenda. “We want to reduce poverty; we want to reduce the cost of living. We want to see our workers get better wages and salaries,” he said.
He also criticised the PPP’s recent recommendation of a 10% salary increase for teachers as insufficient, arguing that it fails to address the need for a livable income. “We believe that you have to improve the lives of the people. You can come with whatever package you want. If the people don’t have the basic income to live, then the people are in deep trouble, and we don’t want them there,” he said.
When asked how his party would manage the economy if in office while providing significant wage increases, Norton said, “the inflation argument by the government, can never be a viable argument.” He argued that the massive sums allocated to a few contractors could be a bigger inflation driver than higher wages for public servants. He pointed to examples, such as the Armstrong Award and the APNU’s previous salary increases, which he said did not lead to inflation.
Furthermore, Norton accused the PPP of using inflation as an excuse to suppress wages while enriching a select group. “This inflationary argument, praised by the PPP, is one to suppress the wages of workers while allowing their cronies to benefit from the billions just increasing the wealth, accentuating the poverty,” Norton said. He said that this approach has led to increased resentment towards the government.
According to reports Government has allocated $221.4B to the Ministry of Public Works in the 2024 budget with $204.1B being allocated to roads and bridges, $2.3B to air transport, $8.1B for river transport, and $6.9B for sea and river defence.
A whopping $1.146T budget was approved earlier this year. Notably, in 2023, the government expended $134.3B to improve road connectivity across Guyana, of which over $65.9B was expended under the miscellaneous, urban and hinterland roads programmes to upgrade, construct and rehabilitate roads in communities across the country. A further $8.5B was expended to construct, rehabilitate, and maintain our bridges.
Amid concerns of high-cost-of-living and inflation, at a recent press conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, outlined measures implemented by the government to alleviate the impact. He said, “But look at what we have done this year. I pointed out what we did to keep gas prices lower, and people get subsidies on the internet, water, electricity, and all of that. These interventions aim to provide relief across multiple sectors of the economy, addressing the multifaceted nature of inflation and cost of living concerns.” Also, speaking on the 10% for teachers, Jagdeo stated, “We spent nearly $40B on wages and salaries for teachers per year. This here works out to $4B; the 10 per cent and over the three years when you look at it cumulatively, that will be maybe just about 12 per cent. It would be about $12B.”
- Aubrey Norton, Infrastructure, Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), People’s Progressive Party (PPP), poverty
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