After Cabinet assessment…
HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon reported yesterday that the national economy has remained stable with the economic progress trend being consistent and satisfactory.

Speaking at his weekly media briefing, at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, he said the review of the performances of Government sectors in 2009, as well as, the projections for 2010, dominated the Tuesday Cabinet meeting.

Luncheon said presentations were made by each Cabinet Minister, who highlighted their respective sectoral performance for the year but the major focus was 2010 projections, particularly, focusing on improvements.

“It is quite clear that, in many sectors, the emphasis now would have to be on intensification of the delivery of goods and services with better governance, better accountability and not the extensive approach that, over the last four administrations of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), saw monumental increases in investments in each,” he explained.

“I think we are fast approaching the sustainable levels of investments in many of these sectors and now we have to concentrate on getting value for money,” Luncheon posited.

He said Cabinet’s assessment was on the basis of eventual achievements, taking into consideration challenges over the year and interventions that were made.

According to him, emphasis was also placed on the performance of the economy and eventual achievements.

The HPS said the result is a reflection of aggressive technical management and judicious interventions by the Administration, when warranted.

With reference to the social sector, Luncheon said it is one area where one sees the room for extensive investment now, in governance and dealing with effectiveness, delivery of goods and services and monitoring and evaluation.

“As I have said before, the days of the really impressive rate of increase in investments in these sectors are coming to a close and what we are looking at now is getting money for value for the level of investments,” he reiterated.

“…to see are we getting the benefits? are we enforcing the standards? Do we have a fairly robust system of monitoring and evaluation that would allow us to feel that this investment is indeed realising its goals?”

In that context, Luncheon gave the assurance that the State will continue to encourage widespread discussions and debates and public consultations on the issues of the day and take action and make interventions subsequent to these consultations and discourses.

Reforms
The Cabinet Secretary said second generation reforms would continue to be undertaken in the financial, justice and security sector.

“We will be moving more and more to address the monitoring and evaluation of the performances in these sectors. Where additional investments are indicated, they would be made but the focus would be on getting the value for money,” he noted.

“So the emphasis on improving governance is to match investments and execution, financing the development along now with the equal emphasis on monitoring and evaluation, to ensure that what is obtained is indeed a reflection of the financing put into that effort,” Luncheon stated.

“Overall, we would want to say that the situation has stabilised from the shocks of 2008 but concerns still exist,” he acknowledged.

“We need to continue working on the robustness of the financial sector and the main plank here is growth in new areas and improving the competitiveness of our industry,” Luncheon urged.

“We hope, we are led to believe that the trend that appeared in the latter part of 2009 would be addressed forthrightly by the main stakeholders and that, indeed, industrial peace will, once again, prevail in industry in Guyana,” he added.

Luncheon said growth areas include tourism, renewable energy, ICT (Information Communication Technology), financial services and non-traditional crops and livestock in the productive sector.

“Competitiveness, at the end of the day, must be enhanced in our industries,”
he said.

Luncheon also disclosed that late January has been identified for Cabinet’s annual retreat, with placed and specifics of the times to be announced later.