…budget cuts bound to affect us, says Chairman Dookhoo
THE private sector is an important stakeholder in a country’s development, and as such, “should not be ignored by any politician”, according to Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo. He has also expressed great confidence in the furtherance of the private sector and its development in Guyana.
The PSC Chairman was speaking last Friday, at the launching of the Third International Building Exposition, at the Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara.
He said many businesses have asked over the past weeks about the ‘parliamentary impasse’ that has taken place, and “have expressed their views about confidence in the future stability of Guyana”.
“I want to say that I have full confidence in the evolution of a democratic parliament in Guyana, and the eventual fulfilment of our national goals as advocated by all of our political parties,” he said.
He noted that the private sector recently, with the gracious accommodation of  President Donald Ramotar, met with him and his political team to discuss these matters and they were given a full brief.
Dookhoo said they also met with the Alliance For Change (AFC) and garnered their views.
“We are trying very hard to meet with APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) on these matters; our effort so far has been not as fruitful as with the other party,” he disclosed.
He pointed out that last year, the private sector led growth in the economy backed by government spending, contributed $17.5B in corporate taxes paid over to government, despite an active taxation reform initiative supported by the National Competitiveness Strategy (NCS), where corporate taxes were reduced by five percent.
“We are important stakeholders and we should not be ignored by any politician. We will not go away or disappear, we will demand that all politicians meet with us,” he insisted.
The PSC Chairman posited, “I have great confidence in the furtherance of the private sector and its development in Guyana”.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Dookhoo expressed optimism that APNU will meet the private sector some time soon.
The PSC Chairman, accompanied by members of the private sector, held a meeting with President Ramotar last Thursday, and according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report, Dookhoo reported small but noticeable declaration of some indicators in the economy as a result of the unprecedented cuts to the 2012 national budget. He told GINA that although the symptoms are not overly alarming, they are ‘showing up more and more every day.’
The private sector prides itself as a major contributor to the economy; especially in the area of annual gross revenues, which Dookhoo said, is now at its highest figure.
Hailed as one of the engines of growth, the private sector convened a series of engagements with politicians, including those in the government, to vent their concerns about the budget cuts and their effects on the economy.
“The cuts will affect spending in the private sector, and spending in the economy. It is bound to affect us at some point in time. We are also concerned about the effects on the transformative projects, the hydropower and other such projects,” Dookhoo said.
The apparent impasse in the Parliament, “where the buck stops”, so to speak has also been of great concern, and Dookhoo said the private sector will make diligent efforts to bring such concerns to the attention of the opposition coalition party, APNU.
“We do not want to sit back and allow this impasse to go on,” Dookhoo told GINA.