THE drastic move by the combined opposition political parties in Parliament to slash the budgetary allocations for State media entities has stirred a disappointing reaction from staff of the Government Information Agency (GINA) who fear the worse for their families’ lives and their future. The following are some of their comments:

Neaz Subhan
The cut to GINA’s budget to one dollar is nothing more than a despicable and irresponsible act by the joint opposition. The Government of the day and every Government that I know of has an information arm. This agency is not unique to Guyana, and even the opposition who would have benefited from such arm when they were in office would want to make Guyanese believe that a GINA-like agency should not exist, simply because it promotes Government programmes and policies.
As a result of this cut, 38 jobs are at stake, affecting the commitments made by those employees and their families, especially at this time when development is so rapid and the enabling environment has allowed them to improve their lifestyles; buy a car or build their own home.
What is more disturbing is to hear that former finance Minister Carl Greenidge   is saying that he has no apology for cutting GINA’s budget.  This move is totally uncaring and is a stone-hearted approach.

Synieka Thorne I feel very disappointed because… I mean, how can you talk about creating more jobs yet you’re cutting?  Who will put food on our tables? We have bills to pay!!
Roopnarine Sammi Among the thousands of youths unemployed in Guyana right now, I am one of them because I have no job… I think what the opposition is trying to do is hurt the government, but they are also hurting innocent people and people who are earning a daily living. It’s unfair.
Kavita Ganpat I can remember Mr. Granger saying that he will create job opportunities for young people, but right now, he is not doing that. I don’t know what I am going to do.
Kawise Wishart The opposition speaks of the new dispensation. If this is the new dispensation for the youths of Guyana who are employed by Government agencies, this is not the new dispensation for the youths of Guyana. This is going to lead us into days where it will be dark for us and our families… I’m a father; my daughter depends on me for everything… Is this creating jobs Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan?
Khamraj Latchman These are the people that promised us that they were going to create jobs; now they are taking it all away.
Leslyn Lowe I cannot express how I feel at this moment, but I am profoundly disappointed. Why? Because these are the politicians that encourage young people like my colleagues to vote for them; they will create jobs; they have the youths and heart… And this is what happens. What do you call this? I call it betrayal. What happens to people like me?  I have a child; I have a mortgage; I have a car loan to pay; I have every expense as every wife does or any family does. So what happens to me now? Could Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan answer that question please? Could they explain to my three-year-old why he wouldn’t have milk some days?
Preya Persaud It’s very heartbreaking to know that we are jobless. People’s lives are depending on the decision that the opposition made. We have families; we have children to send to school. What are we going to tell them? These are the people that told us ‘Come vote for us; we will create jobs for you.’
Natalie Brhamdeow The cut of the subvention for GINA will cause a lot of staff to lose their jobs; GINA is 100 per cent funded. People have mortgages; they have bills to pay…
Leroy Lyttle This budget cut will affect me and my family, and I just got a young one-month-and-two-days-old child, and I don’t know how she is going to survive now that I am without a job… I don’t know what will happen now.
Anil Seelall Coming from a single-parent home, it will be really hard to go home and tell my mom that I will not be able to maintain her and my other brothers, taking into consideration that this is my first job since I was trained at the Kuru Kuru training centre. What will I go and tell her?
Rupert Singh It is amazing to know that we have come this far. I thought that the Budget was going fairly well. I saw APNU working with the Government, trying to accomplish what the Government has set out to do, which is to continue its developmental programmes. And then I got a shock that they were going to slash and cut GINA and NCN.
Vishwanauth Babulall As employees of the Government Information Agency, we are mandated to cover the government and all of their activities… I am a video editor for the Government Information Agency, and it breaks your heart to know that you will be jobless.
Fabian Clowes I think whatever political arguments you put forward about what transpired in Parliament, the inevitable truth about the matter is that people are out of jobs. There is a staff complement of about 38 in the Government Information Agency; relatively young, promising individuals who are now on the unemployment line.
Shanta Gobardhan This act by the opposition is an assault on Freedom of Expression. In every country, there is an information agency that primarily disseminates information about the workings, the policies and programmes of the government. Voting against the Government Information Agency is not only putting 38 people out of work, but it’s also trying to muzzle what the government is doing. The work of a Government must be channeled to the citizenry, as they have a right to know what the government they elected is doing for their and the country’s development.
Christine Ali Here you have people in the opposition saying that they want to create jobs for youths out there; and they are the same persons who make decisions to put staff out of work. The people that work here have mortgages; they have loans; some of them are now starting a family. What are they supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?
Delon  Farley Jobs are being taken away from people… It is jobs that provide people’s daily meals. While I was shocked by the decision that was taken in Parliament, I know I am not the only one without a job as a result of that decision.
Steve Narine The opposition knows fairly well that no government can do without an Information Agency. I’ve been associated with this agency during the period of Dr. Jagan, Mr. Burnham, Hoyte and I think one of the things that the opposition has failed to think about is what will happen to the workers who earn a living. I trust that better sense will prevail, and that they will think not only about the political side of it.
Ramesh Sukhdeo This is indeed a sad moment for me. I’ve been working here for the past five years and it’s something I enjoyed doing. Now that has been taken away from me by AFC and APNU.  It is indeed a ruthless decision, and I hope everybody comes out against this move. It is not right.
Tekia Higgins I think it’s very unfair what was done, because most of us here are young people. What are we supposed to go and do now?
Ursulla Ramdayal I am the sole breadwinner for my family; I have three persons at home depending on me.
Macalia Santos I think that we expected something from them…But, to this extent? It is very shocking! I mean, I feel that this is just spiteful on their part, because they have to know that it would have affected persons.
Vindiya Tumeshwar They stood on their campaign platform and fight for job creation, and this is the same two parties that send home workers. Someone asked Khemraj Ramjattan the question, ‘These are normal people who you sending home?’ And he turned and said, ‘Well, if some got to go, they got to go.’
Erica Haag- Tularam This move is not hurting the government, but it’s hurting we the workers; the contract workers, because the majority of us have families and babies. Now, who is going to feed our babies? If you are saying you have the workers at heart, how can you say that and are sending people home now?
Kapil I feel it’s really disappointing. What are we going to do with our lives now? What they want us to do now? Thief, borrow, beg, drink rum and smoke?
Farida Khan Mr. Granger said he will provide work for us, and now look what he is doing to us. I have a child to look after, and I have bills to pay.
Shaundell Green I would like to say thanks to Mr. Ramjattan for putting me on the breadline. I have three kids; I have a house loan to pay; I have a lot of bills on my head. I would just like to say thank you very much.