STAKEHOLDERS must step up, if not now – when? Guyana needs a third non-political and as independent a Voice as possible to be heard in the present debate on the new budget. Guyana could suffer a long-standing setback if the current impasse continues. There will ultimately be no winners in the long term. The opposition seems caught between commonsense and a misuse of power. All of their points should be discussed by government to see which can be accepted in whole or part or even in a phase in manner.
However, the areas that will be reduced or eliminated in a revised budget must be listed publicly. We need to know if we are robbing Peter to pay Paul and who will be Peter or Paul. The opposition’s stance on electricity for Linden versus the rest of Guyana, the potential layouts of some of their own supporters, while looking for ‘fat cats’ and calling for more jobs at the same time are some of the things that seems hard to understand.

The stakeholders forum and civil organisations must insist on the political parties hearing their views on the various budget cuts suggested. There must be a satisfactory balance between reducing poverty and pushing development.
The ultimate solution to poverty is having a developing country that can provide better jobs and more government income. This starts with a suitable infrastructure and trained workforce. It is time to put patriotism in front of profit or party.