HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon declared, yesterday, that, so far, the Opposition seems incapable of responding to the major elements of the 2013 Budget and totally ignored the major ‘sectoral’ considerations that were addressed.

He made the observation at his usual post-Cabinet media briefing in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.
According to him, the major contention of the Opposition is about process, as they resort to claims about constitutionality and abuse of the Consolidated Fund, reviews of legal challenges and criticisms of public expenditure management under the successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.
“We have to judge their silence about macroeconomic stability as recognition of the PPP/C Administration successfully dealing with stability of the macro economy, a job well done,” Luncheon concluded.
After reviewing the past days of parliamentary debate, he said Cabinet felt that it was essentially about defending the most comprehensive annual financing plan that did a number of things.
“One, it confirms with Guyana’s and the PPP/C’s ongoing developmental strategy. Two, it maintains the macroeconomic stability. Three, it sustains the level of investment in the social sector and four, it pays particular attention to vulnerable populations in Guyana.
“The Budget was a win-win proposition for all Guyanese, individually, families and communities. The Budget itself was fashioned to respond to the evolving needs of the various categories of Guyanese,” Luncheon maintained.