FINANCE Minister Dr Ashni Singh will present this year’s budget to the National Assembly today.

Dr Singh said that the budget will be an all embracing one and will be no different from those of previous years, in that it will continue to embrace the objectives necessary to improve the lives of the Guyanese people.
He stressed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has over the years demonstrated its commitment to development in Guyana, and its conviction is that all of its policies must have at their centre a constant objective of improving the wellbeing of all the people of Guyana.
“That has been reflected over the years in a very consistent policy position: Investing in social services, improving quality of life, and most importantly, preserving and strengthening the overall macroeconomic environment,” he said.
Noting that Budget 2013, which will be presented in the National Assembly tomorrow, will be no exception, Dr Singh said it will continue to embrace those objectives, which are ensuring macro-economic stability and strength, the modernization and transformation of the country, the further improvement of the quality of life enjoyed by Guyanese people throughout the country, the strengthening of the environment for promoting innovation and creativity enterprise and generally, the environment that is necessary for people to realise opportunities for personal uplifting.
He noted that projects funded by the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) all go through a consolidative process.
“No project is funded out of the GRIF without having gone through the process of inclusion in the actual strategy document, consideration by the multi stakeholder steering committee, consideration by the GRIF steering committee,” he explained.
He added that the entire LCDS has benefitted from an unprecedented nationwide consultation. Questioned the rationale on which the opposition might wish to cut a GRIF supported project. According to him, this would make no sense.
Meanwhile, the minister stated that the government is being guided by the Chief Justice’s ruling on last year’s budget cuts, which stated that the National Assembly acted outside its constitutional mandate in imposing the cuts.
“I think there are some very clear and explicit conclusions that can be derived from what the Chief Justice said, and one of them was that the National Assembly acted outside of its constitutional mandate to impose the cuts that it did,” he stressed.
He further stated related that he hopes the parliamentary opposition parties will go to the National Assembly with “an open mind, willing to consider the budget on its merits”. According to him, once they are willing to do that, there will be a healthy debate and a positive outcome.