Speaker expects healthy budget debate, maturity
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman is confident that the upcoming budget debate , expected to start in a few weeks time, will be healthy and demonstrate a certain level of maturity by parliamentarians on both sides of the House. “I think that is going to be a testing time,” he told the Guyana  Chronicle in an interview, earlier this week, expressing confidence in the atmosphere, noting that both the ruling party and the combined opposition parliamentary parties are finding the balance, contrary to what has happened at the last two sittings of the Parliament.
Mr. Trotman offered the opinion after having a number of discussions with the two sides following the last sitting.
The Speaker disclosed that he is planning a few changes with regard to moving the country’s business through the House, as it relates to the lengthy hours in which the sessions are conducted.
But he assured they will be kept within the confines of the Standing Orders.
Trotman said he is, therefore, hopeful that there will be cooperation from both the government and the Opposition in his quest to ensure there is meaningful and timely debating leading up to the passage of the 2012 national budget.
Meanwhile, talks on the budgetary proposals between the two sides have not been held, as anticipated, and the ruling party has blamed A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge for the situation.
The issue came to the fore after Greenidge, in some sections of the media,  claimed that  “the likelihood of pre-consultations looked dim as the government has not been keeping its commitment to hold talks on the budget before it is presented in the National Assembly.”

TIME FACTOR
In the same statement, he questioned whether the government is serious about convening a meeting that could facilitate a meaningful discussion, taking into consideration the time factor.
However, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh sought to clear the air on what he called the misconceptions being peddled by the Opposition. Dr. Singh said, on March 5, he wrote to the representatives of the various parliamentary parties, inviting them to discuss economic matters, including the budget, on Wednesday, March 7.
He said he received a response from the Alliance For Change member, Mr. Gerhard Ramsaroop, asking for a minor shift in the proposed time.
Singh said APNU’s, Mr. Winston Jordan also responded, seeking a postponement of the date to the following week, citing Greenidge’s unavailability.
Singh said, responding to Jordan’s request on Greenidge’s behalf, he promptly proposed an alternative date in the following week.
Ramsaroop and Jordan have confirmed their availability and Greenidge is yet to confirm his to the minister’s revised date, Singh said, declaring that it is misleading to suggest that the talks were held back due to lack of efforts by the government.
Dr. Singh noted, too, that the government is looking forward to the consultations with the Opposition representatives and receiving their views but has no choice other than to proceed with the other Opposition representatives if Greenidge continues to be unavailable.
The budget is constitutionally due to be presented in the National Assembly by this month end and should be passed no later than April 29, a track record the PPP/C has maintained.