ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall says that the “only people I know in Guyana who do not support this Budget is the 33 on this (opposition benches) side.”

Nandlall yesterday gave his presentation to the 2013 Budget Debate in the House and accused the combined opposition of merely seeking out a “political orgasm,” and added that to cut the budget will not harm government but rather the people of Guyana.
Nandlall told the House that even before the presentation of the estimates to the House; the opposition had regrettably announced plans to cut the budget.
He told the House that “I get the feeling that by cutting the budget, they feel that they will hurt the government.…if they intend to cut the budget to hurt the government, that is not what they are doing, they are hurting the Guyanese people.”
He said that when the opposition speaks on the budget, their intentions speak to “putting us in a state of anti-development.”
The Minister of Legal Affairs recalled a public progamme where Alliance For Change (AFC) Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo; Party Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan; and A partnership for National Unity (APNU) Finance spokesperson, Carl Greenidge spoke passionately about the instruments they intend to use.
Nandlall suggested that it appears that for the combined opposition, cutting the budget has become akin to political masturbation.
Turning his attention to some of the projects identified for allocation cuts, such as the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project and the Specialty Hospital, the Attorney General questioned whether in 2013 Guyanese are not entitled to access cheap, reliable and renewable electricity or first class health care.
He said that for the opposition to cut monies for the projects would be simply to deny Guyanese facilities, and asked “why is it are the Guyanese people, in the year 2103, are not entitled.”
Government, Nandlall insists, wants to see the projects come to fruition so that the people of Guyana may benefit, “but the opposition wants to deny them.”
He spoke too of the proposed expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and reminded that government is prepared to give to the Guyanese people the modern facilities and “the opposition want to take it away.”
“Are Guyanese not entitled to a modern airport…what wrong have the Guyanese people done or what sins have they committed, not to be entitled to facilities available to people all over the world.”
Nandlall further told the House that there is the legal aspect of the conundrum for which the opposition seems oblivious.
According to Nandlall, the Constitution of Guyana clearly spells out a distribution of power between the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.
He said that while preparation and presentation of the budget is the sole role of the executive, Parliament is the premier lawmaking institution of the land and “this House has a responsibility to ensure the Constitution of the country and the laws are obeyed.
“The House cannot take a position contrary to the Constitution,” argued Nandlall.
He drew reference to a 34 page ruling by Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang, where, according to Nandlall, it was outlined why the opposition has no power to cut the budget.
“Justice Chang said so in a ruling,” cautioned Nandlall and warned that “if the Parliament is going to take a position that they are not going to obey the laws of the land, or the orders of the court, they do so at their own peril…let the people see.”
Nandlall reminded also of Greenidge’s presentation to the House, where he had accused the administration of a litany of constitutional breaches, and said that government has been vindicated in the courts as well as through rulings by the Speaker.
“They move to gag Rohee in Parliament,” reminded Nandlall, and told the House that the court ruled that the gag imposed was unlawful.
The Legal Advisor to the Government told the House that in relation to the budget, Article 218 of the Guyana Constitution stipulates that the Executive is the sole authority to prepare and lay in the House the National Expenditures for the nation in a fiscal year.
He accused Greenidge, through recent attempts to alter the preparation of the budget for agencies such as the Judicial Service Commission, of attempting to shift power from the executive to the legislation
“He is shifting power to himself,” said Nandlall, “these are not ordinary constitutional violations being proposed, but rather are constitutional vulgarities of obscene proportions.”