Minister of Business, Dominc Gaskin has lauded the government for presenting a budget, which he says has “raised the spirit of the Guyanese people and raised the bar and set a new standard for effect public spending.”

In contributing to the debate of the 2016 budget, which commenced in the National Assembly today, Minister Gaskin rubbished claims made by Opposition Member, Irfaan Ali, who in his speech, noted that the APNU+AFC government is not interested in creating jobs for citizens.

According to Gaskin, “one of the most fundamental roles of any Government is to run its economy in such a manner so as to keep as many of its people gainfully employed.”

The Business Minister pointed out that during the 23 years of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in office, “it never saw fit to release any reliable statistics about employment…the rate of unemployment has been a state secret for the last 23 years.”

He told the House that budget 2016 will pump life into the economy, making reference to the establishment of Industrial Estates at Lethem in Region 9 and in Region 6.

It was noted that a total of $212M has been allocated in the budget in this regard, and will see approximately 1,500 jobs being created.