Government Ministers conducted an outreach programme on Saturday  to Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, focusing on the 2013 National Budget and its measures and programmes.
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn and Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy were at the Lusignan Community Centre, East Coast Demerara to speak with residents gathered there.

Minister Benn pointed out that Guyana under the stewardship of the PPP/C administration has delivered seven years of consistent economic growth, the only country in CARICOM to have achieved such a performance.
Outlining the 2013 budgetary allocations of the various sectors, he said their successful performance in 2012 was a tribute to the ruling party and the successful work of private/public partnerships.
Minister Benn expressed  government’s concern about the opposition’s proposed actions regarding the 2013 budget. However, he emphasised government’s determination to move forward with the development of Guyana.
Regarding the opposition’s indication of their intention to cut the budget, he expressed the hope that good sense would prevail.
The minister highlighted improvements in the country which have been singled out by international bodies, most notably the consistent improvement of the economy.
Minister Benn also rubbished the opposition’s claim that the allocations slated for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) were “bail out” allocations.
Meanwhile, Minister Ramsammy in his address to the gathering explained that Budget 2013 has something for all Guyanese, and pointed to the tax reforms, the easing of the burdens of public servants and low income earners, and mortgage relief for first home owners.
The minister also pointed to the Linden subsidy for various utilities which totals up to almost five times of what citizens in other parts of the country are receiving. He suggested that should he make the suggestion for the support of the opposition parties to take the electricity subsidy from Region 10 and have them pay the same as the rest of the country and use that allocation for the Berbice Bridge or increased pensions, he doubted if he would be given that support.
Minster Ramsammy also detailed the ways that VAT was more costly to rich persons than it was for poor people.
He also explained that during the formulation of the National Development Strategy (NDS), there were persons such as Dr. Kenneth King, Dr. Clive Thomas and Christopher Ram involved.
Minister Ramsammy said that these persons were among the ones who had stated that before Guyana could move forward with industrial development, there must be a larger airport to accommodate more international flights and a larger number of planes, hence the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion project.
It was also pointed out that industrial development meant having a five-star hotel in Guyana, hence the launch of the Marriot Hotel project.
Both these projects are now being condemned by the very opposition from whose members these inputs about Guyana’s development were made.
On the issue of corruption, Minister Ramsammy acknowledged that it did exist, “and we will only stamp it out if we work together,” he stated. However, he observed that whenever any action is taken against reported corruption, politicians step in. This, he implied, would stymie the process.
The Agriculture Minister also highlighted the fact that there are more homeowners in Guyana today than in the 1990s and many of them are young persons who also own vehicles.