In Parliament
Members of the Opposition yesterday walked out of the National Assembly after Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali, refused to respond to wild statements from the opposition concerning the timeline for the utilisation of $4B listed in Supplementary Financial Papers Six on Capital Estimates.

The minister earlier told the House that the $4B is aimed at further advancing the development of the housing sector to create 17,000 new house lots for the benefit of the people.

He said the Government’s commitment to developing the housing sector runs in excess of $4B and that amount was always conceptualised as part of a programme to make house lots available to the people.

Ali said that the housing programme will require much more than $4B and the Government is in a position of readiness to implement the programme amounting to that sum.

He further explained that the amount will be expended in many areas across the country, bounded by the needs of the people.

At that point, People’s National Congress Reform-One Guyana (PNCR-1G) Mervin Williams requested the minister to provide the House with a schedule of the geographic areas and the amount earmarked for the $4B.

And Ali rose and explained that the housing programme is an ongoing one which has been expanding.

Another PNCR Parliamentarian, Winston Murray, then inquired of the minister if he is aware that according to the estimates provided to the House in 2009 under details of capital expenditure for his ministry, the project is listed under which the item comes as number 147 in the project profile.

He further inquired if the minister is aware that in that profile, there are specific works identified to be undertaken such as the construction of roads and installation of electricity at particular areas, upgrading of roads at Mon Repos and Number 77 Village, installation of pure water network at Amelia’s Ward, and construction of a concrete bridge at Bell West.

“Clearly, madam Speaker, it must be the intention to spend $4B on some things, other than these,” Murray put forward and asked where is the project profile to show the utilisation of the $ 4B.

Ali responded by saying, that Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has on more than one occasions clarified that issue and referred Murray to the record for the clarification he was seeking.

Ali explained that the sum forms part of an intervention to develop housing for the people and it falls within the framework to create 17,000 new house lots.

Murray then inquired over what period of time the minister proposed to expend the sum and Ali repeated that the amount will be used to implement a programme that will see the creation of 17,000 new house lots and will be utilised within the timeframe budgeted.

Ali later told the media that he is very disappointed by the Opposition walking out on a provision that seeks to make more resources available for the development of house lots for the people.

“They basically walked out on a vote to make more resources available to provide additional house lots for the people. The $4B as I explained, is apart of a plan that we announced earlier this year to make 17,000 more house lots available.

“This $ 4B will be utilised by the Central Housing and Planning Authority to ensure that we meet that target of 17,000 lots in Regions Two, Three and Four,” the minister said.

Alliance for Change (AFC) Parliamentarian, Khemraj Ramjattan, told the media that he intends to write the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), citing Ali for breach of the constitution for refusing to respond to questions from the opposition.

But the minister responded saying that if finding and making more resources available to further advance the development of the housing for the people is a constitution breach, then Ramjattan needs to examine himself.

On the issue on timeline, as requested by Murray, Ali said too that he repeated over and over again that the housing programme is an ongoing one. He said too that the Government has to find the land, develop it, and is in negotiation with GuySuCo to acquire more lands to advance the housing project.