…Ramjattan calls for Public Procurement Commission
“The budget spreads the Marmite all around, giving a little to each and everyone,” said Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran during his presentation on Monday at the commencement of the 2010 budget debates. The debate on the national budget came one week after the Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh presented the $161.4 billion budget.
“This is a budget of transformation and reform,” said Minister Ramsaran, giving a heaping spoonful of support to Dr. Singh’s budget.
“It even goes beyond reform Mr. Speaker;  it is transformational…there are certain key things that will be done…we heard of the backbone for the IT (Information & Technology)  infrastructure, we see already how it is resonating positively among the Guyanese people and acting as a unifying mechanism. Look at what happened only a few days ago at the [Guyana International Conference Centre]. Look at the joy of those people interacting with their administration when they came to know that they will be part of the fight against the digital divide. No longer will computers and access to IT training and new knowledge be restricted to the privileged,” he said.
“Further, Mr. Speaker, this budget underlines one of the main tenets that the President and his administration have adumbrated and implemented over the last few years: equity of access, spread of resources and if you were to check that in the budget you would see how it is reflected both at the regional level and at the services that we are providing,” he said.
Speaking of the sound foundation that Guyana is building, he said the government has been careful to allocate resources to address needs and, at the same time, ensure that they are spread as equally as possible.
“This year, the administration in its budget will be going for value-for-dollar…there were times in the past that might have been important, and emphasized, but due to the need [there was flexibility]. There was one time when we were giving house lots without the infrastructure to allow people to build. Times have changed and now we have put in roads, water and light…,” he said.
Noting that the area of health is being used as a tool to fight poverty, Ramsaran said there has been much success in this fight and, because of the success, there are “ill advised and inaccurate” criticisms also in the media.
Quoting from a press release that the Private Sector Commission issued days after the presentation of the budget, the Minister said the budget has engendered confidence among the private sector, contrary to what a member of the Opposition was saying earlier in the debates.
“Guyana has in fact moved the engine of growth into top gear,” he declared.