Hughes criticises provisions for handicapped, State-owned media
NEW Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament MP, Cathy Hughes voiced her disapproval, in the National Assembly Tuesday, for the allocation of $200,000 in the 2012 National Budget for the David Rose School for the Handicapped. She compared the provision to the more than $200M for the State-owned media houses, when making her debut presentation in the House to the Budget Debate.
Hughes expressed the view that there has been very little improvement at the school, over the years, from when her deaf sister attended it in the 1970s.
“Originally a school for the deaf, today David Rose is a melting pot for children with various disabilities fighting for a chance to learn but in an environment grossly starved of resources which, in fact, guarantees that they really will never achieve their true potential,” she lamented.
Hughes declared that the $200,000 being provided was unacceptable for one of the few facilities dedicated to training and educating persons with disabilities.
Alluding to the estimates, she pointed out that there is an increase in travelling allowances for conferences and official visits, from some $263M in 2010 to $270M in 2011 and now $285M for this year.
She called for the Budget to reflect what the people want and what they say they need, adding that the AFC is making representation for them.
Change
Hughes maintained that $200,000 for the David Rose School and $285M for overseas conferences and trips cannot be considered just and must, therefore, change.
She contended that behind every child with a disability is a mother fighting hard to understand and cope with additional challenges.
“Is this the best that we can do? Is this the best support Guyana can offer these families?” Hughes questioned.
She was also critical of the work of State-owned National Communications Network (NCN) and the Government Information Agency (GINA), charging that they are not operating in the people’s interest.
In her opinion, NCN does not fulfill the mandate of a public service or a national broadcaster and, consequently, should not be receiving, together with GINA, a total of more than $241M as indicated in the estimates.
Hughes referred to a letter NCN sent to AFC, dated March 19, 2012, which stated that it is a registered company that receives over 90 percent of its income from advertising.
“This is a wonderful feat for NCN and, given this information, it is absolutely clear that NCN and the Government Information Agency does not need over $240M from the limited national coffers. It is, after all, clearly a very successful company that can compete effectively with the Private Sector,” she pronounced.