– Home Affairs Minister
Over the years, Government has implemented policies and programmes to enhance the lives of Guyanese and to ensure that the country develops and becomes sustainable; and through implemented measures, it has been ensuring continuity of growth.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee during his presentation to the National Assembly on the 2010 National Budget, stated that Government will not be distracted from the task.
Noting that man is a product of circumstances and to change the man the circumstances must be changed, the Minister said that Government is working to change the circumstances under which Guyanese live and work.
The Minister stated that Government has been moving in this direction and identified one of the instances when this was attempted.
“One instance I can immediately refer to, was when the famous Reverend Myles Munroe came to Guyana to seek to introduce a different level, a higher level of political debate, a quality of discussion within the society that would go beyond the sterile political issues, would go beyond the routine political issues and would bring some kind of spiritual discussion, and what was the response? The response was a statement issued by the Opposition PNC stating that they would not be a part of this activity because they saw it as another attempt to divert the attention of the people of Guyana,” Minister Rohee said.
The Minister quoted from an article published in the Stabroek News on the issue which said, “The party will lend no credence to what it calls political propaganda and will not participate in the political exercise and will not be a passive bystander and give legitimacy to the machinations of the political agenda of the PPP.”
He questioned the House on how it will arrive at a higher a plane, at a higher level of political discourse, when such an effort is made and the main Opposition rebuffs it, noting that the party is supposed to be making a contribution to ensure that people live in peace and harmony.
“We have proven by dint of example that we can take this country, not only forward, but out of any quagmire, especially having regard to what was said in the budget about the measures that were taken by the government in 2009 to ensure that survivability is a hallmark of this government’s performance throughout the years,” the Minister said.
Quoting from the Finance Minister’s budget speech, Minister Rohee stated that Government recognises that there are still difficult times ahead. “Even so, I would admonish that it be less of an occasion for celebration and more of a reason for vigilance on our part, for while the evidence of progress is plenty, the risk of reversal is never distant and the remainder of the work is certainly not complete,” he quoted.
Minister Rohee pointed out that growth and development comes in stages and that the two must go hand in hand, but stated that Guyana is developing and this will continue every year as resources are allocated through the National Budget for every sector.
“What we are sure about is that the ship MV Guyana is in safe hands, we are confident about that and we say that we will stay the course; but we know that we must be flexible, and we must be imaginative and at the same time pragmatic enough to navigate this course and to dock when necessary at any port when the situation demands,” Minister Rohee said.
Speaking on the issue of domestic violence for which the Opposition criticised Government, the Minister asked the Opposition to identify concrete steps it took to provide assistance to the ‘Stamp It Out Campaign’ launched by Government to tackle this issue.
On the issue of development, the Minister noted that many of the Opposition Members would pretend to stand aloof from the process of development while their supporters are actively participating and benefiting from the proceeds.
“When you look around Guyana you can only marvel at the improvements made in every sector over the past decade or so, and who are benefiting from these impressive improvements, it’s the people of Guyana, its your supporters, its our supporters, there are Guyanese who don’t support you, there are Guyanese who don’t support us, but they benefit from these projects, they use those projects.”
The Minister further stated that the theme of the budget was criticised as Opposition Members sough to cast scorn, but reflected on the past when each year was given a slogan under the People’s National Congress Government. He stated that 1980 was designated the year of effort, while 1985 was the year of youthfulness, 1987 the year of purposeful economic adjustment, 1986 the year of standing up for Guyana, 1988 the year of staying resolutely on course, and 1990 the year of intensified effort and greater self reliance.
However, he pointed out that the sloganeering got the country nowhere, and this year’s budget theme sets out Government’s development agenda of consolidating, transforming and sustaining growth and development.
The Minister pointed out that Member of the PNCR Lance Carberry had stated that the PPP Government missed the opportunity of transformation through the industrialisation of Guyana. This, the Minister said, was an attempt to misrepresent history, because it was the PPP Government that started the process of industrialisation between the 1957-64 period which was interrupted as a result of external intervention and local collusion of the CIA, the local trade union movement, and the PNC, among others, to remove the Government.
Minister Rohee stated that this is a historical fact that ought not to be forgotten.(GINA)