– as President chairs his first meeting
– appeals to Opposition  to ‘stop playing politics with Amerindian development’
THE unprecedented cut in the budgetary allocation to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) by the opposition political parties in Parliament was brought to the table yesterday when President Donald Ramotar convened his first statutory meeting of the multi-stakeholder steering committee on climate change.
As the issue was debated at the Office of the President, many of the representatives were taken aback by the Opposition using what is now widely termed its “one seat dictatorship” to cut over $18B in projects under the LCDS.
Of particular concern was the fact that the funding which Guyana was able to earn, using the sale of forest carbon services in the fight against climate change, targeted key developmental “growth pole” projects.
Among them is the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) which would have significantly reduced the cost of generating electricity and fostered efficiency in manufacturing.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo, who was part of the meeting, in an invited comment to the Government Information Agency (GINA), said that the PSC was, in particular, looking forward to the realisation of the hydro project for the promotion of competitiveness.
“It would have put Guyana on the map industrially, and that’s a big disappointment to the private sector. We would want to hope that good sense prevails and this situation can be turned around in a very short time,” Dookhoo said.
The cuts have also shattered the hopes of completing the land titling process in hinterland communities and continuation of the distribution of solar panels to these communities to provide electricity.
There is also fear that impending developmental initiatives such as food security and sustainability, and income generating projects would likely be in limbo as a result of the Opposition actions taken in the Parliament.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, in an invited comment, stated that the cuts will slow down the pace of development programmes in hinterland communities scheduled to be executed this year under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Committee member and recently appointed leader of The United Force (TUF), Peter Persaud, explained that the cut to the LCDS has created an impasse for Amerindians awaiting implementation of their Community Development Plans.
“The LCDS budgetary cut will significantly impact on the indigenous communities of Guyana; and in my view it is a gross violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples. It is also a discriminatory and prejudicial act by the combined Opposition in our National Assembly,” Persaud said.
Speaking to members of the media following the meeting, President Ramotar expressed the view that the next best option is to devise an alternative plan to “push the projects along”, even though many of the concerned multi-stakeholder representatives are prompted to take to street demonstrations to express their displeasure with the Opposition’s move.
The role of the Opposition in “doing what is right,” is a key part of this process, according to President Ramotar, who believes that the interest of Guyana should not be sacrificed because of party politics.
“This is where the development of our country is concerned. The social economic development of Guyana is very much at stake in these areas, and this is where people can have benefits… if they (the Opposition) want to demonstrate some level of responsibility, they should support this portion of the budget that they have cut for the LCDS programme, unconditionally,” President Ramotar said.
The Head of State believes that the Opposition asking for their demands to be met before any reversal to the budget cuts, instead of what is in the best interest of the development of Guyana, is “bad politicking.”
The LCDS evolved out of former President Jagdeo’s Initiative on Avoided Deforestation launched in December 2008, which seeks to build and expand on the economic and social reforms achieved, while aiding in the fight against climate change, by putting Guyana onto a low carbon development path.
The development model is a key pillar for Guyana transitioning to a new economy, investing millions of United States dollars in payments the country received through the world’s second largest forest climate services arrangement with the Government of Norway.