THE ruling party yesterday hailed the 2014 Budget as a representation of its vision for Guyana and a reflection of the promises to the Guyanese people as stated in its 2011 manifesto.

General-Secretary of the party, Clement Rohee, at a weekly press conference at Freedom House, Robb Street, said, “(The Budget is) a people’s budget and aptly titled, A Better Guyana for all Guyanese. This theme is further demonstrative of the PPP/C Government’s commitment to continuously improve the lives of Guyanese and the transformation of our country.”
The National Budget was presented in the National Assembly last Monday by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh.
According to Rohee, since taking office just over two decades ago, budgets presented by successive PPP/C governments have been designed to provide a better future for all as captured in its manifestos.
“Budget 2014 is no different, and it stays steadfast to our vision for a modern Guyana. Over the years, the PPP-led government has introduced numerous measures in every budget to create the enabling environment for our people to mitigate the challenges they face and by extension, improve their lives,” he said.
OPPOSITION CRITICISM
The General-Secretary took the Opposition to task for criticisms levelled against the 2014 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure since its presentation.
He stressed that the criticisms against the budget by APNU are unsurprising.
“Our party does not expect the Opposition, given their actions over the years, to commend anything that is meaningful towards the development of Guyana. Their unconscionable budget cuts of transformative projects and their attempts to cut jobs are hallmarks of their hypocrisy and their lack of concern for Guyanese,” Rohee said.
He added that the current Administration has worked assiduously over the years to increase the revenue base of the country, much to the benefit of the people and will remain steadfast in its endeavour to create a better Guyana for all.
“(The PPP/C) will not be distracted by the pettiness and spite of the Opposition. Once again we welcome Budget 2014 and congratulate the Minister of Finance and his team for a job well done,” the General Secretary said.
He added that measures to improve lives are reflective of this.
The Finance Minister’s announcement that no new taxes will be introduced was welcome, as was his announcements that old age pensions would be increased from $12,500 to $13,600 – up from $3,500 in 2006; old age pensioners would receive an annual electricity assistance of $30,000, an increase from $20,000; and a $10,000 allowance for each child in the public education system.
Among other measures, Singh announced were the allocation of $3.2B to meet the cost of maintaining the electricity subsidy in Linden and Kwakwani, Region 10; the allocation of $100M to advance technical and other assessments for capital works to Port Georgetown; and $1B for rehabilitation of critical interior roads, including the Linden to Lethem road.
Allocations to other major sectors allowed for an increase in this year’s Budget and include $3.7B to the Guyana Power and Light Company, to support critical capital expenditure and avoid increased tariffs for consumers; $1B for rural enterprise development; $6B for the sugar sector, to achieve a badly needed reversal of fortunes; an injection of $500M into the rice sector to support efforts to increase competitiveness and resilience; $200M for advancement of efforts in other agricultural areas; and an investment of $800M into the tourism industry for the establishment of a Hospitality Institute.
New this year was the announcement of a ‘Clean Up Guyana’ campaign, which attracted an allocation of some $1B, $500M of which will be dedicated to immediate efforts to clean up the capital city.
BUDGET FOR THE PEOPLE
Rohee said, “This year, the increase in electricity tariff assistance to senior citizens and the five per cent increase in pensions are most welcome.
“The new electricity tariff assistance of $30,000 per year for pensioners is complemented by the subsidy provided for their water rates which was implemented some time ago.”
Rohee noted that it was the PPP-led government that abolished the ‘means test’, which was used by the PNC regime to determine who can qualify to receive old-age pension.
Today, it’s automatic, on attaining the age of sixty-five.
The General-Secretary said too that, “The introduction in Budget 2014 of the public school student cash grant of $10,000 per child is an effort to provide additional support to parents with children in nursery, primary or secondary schools.
“This is now in addition to the free school uniform and school feeding programmes. Our Party believes that the investment in children is an investment in our future.
“Similarly, the $1B allocation which is intended to encourage and promote more aggressively the emergence of entrepreneurial ventures in rural communities will result in job creation for young people, and will continue to raise the quality of life throughout villages.”
Rohee added that the ruling party also welcomes the measures contained in Budget 2014 which are geared to promote investments and tourism.
He said, “The $1B allocation for hinterland road development, including the Linden to Lethem road; the $800M allocation to establish a hospitality institute to build capacity in the tourism sector and the $100M allocation to dredge the mouth of the Demerara River are visionary initiatives to attract investments, expand the economy and to create more jobs.”
According to him, Budget 2014 also sees Government continuing to prioritise resources allocations to the security sector with $19.5B budgeted, an increase in $2B from 2013.
He said, “This is to increase human capital and to adopt more modern technology so as to strengthen capabilities of security sector institutions and communities alike, with the underlying aim of maintaining law and order.
“This year, significant sums will be spent on training for the SWAT Unit and Joint Services ranks, training and equipping of Community Policing Groups countrywide, and for the completion of the Forensic Laboratory and the upgrading of physical infrastructure.
“These allocations continue to vindicate the emphasis our Party-led government places on the nation’s security.”
Rohee also underscored the allocations in the agricultural diversification and other strategic advances.
The General-Secretary said, “These are indicative of our Party-led government’s dedication to assist farmers through various mechanisms across our country.
“As our country continues to expand, so does the demand for electricity. The Party is therefore pleased that some $3.7B has been earmarked for capital expenditure support for the Guyana Power & Light (GPL). Without this, consumers would be forced to pay higher electricity tariffs.
“The fact that there has been no increase in rates over the last seven years is demonstrative of our government’s efforts not to bring to bear additional burden on our people. The $3.2B subsidy to electricity consumers in Linden is noted and is evident of the government’s efforts to insulate citizens financially.”
He stressed that Budget 2014 seeks to continue the work the Government has been doing to build a more modern and prosperous Guyana for the benefit of all Guyanese.
By Vanessa Narine