THERE are some people who are so blinded by prejudice and obsessed by hate that they cannot see anything good in this current PPP/C administration.

So entrenched they are in their hatred for the government that they find fault with everything the government do or say. One gets the impression that were the PPP/C government to pave the streets in Guyana with gold, they would find something to complain about, possibly that the glare of the metal is too much for their eyes.
These are people who simply cannot be convinced no matter how sound the argument may be. They have already made up their minds and have set views and preconceived opinions which cannot be changed.

The saying that ‘none so blind as he who will not see’ is applicable to persons of such ilk and disposition. In other words, they see the world and view reality through the prism of hate and prejudice towards the PPP. Reality is perceived as either black or white. No other shades are recognized or acknowledged. I will refrain from calling names. Who the cap fits, let them wear it!
As I listened to the 2013 budget debates these are some of the thoughts that dawned upon me. Why, I ask, is it so hard to accept that the 2013 Budget is good for Guyana and that the measures contained in the Budget could bring benefits to the Guyanese people, in particular those in the lower income brackets and the socially disadvantaged?
The answer, I respectfully submit, is situated in the bifurcated nature of our politics where any acknowledgement of the positives in the budget (and there have been many, too numerous to mention) by the opposition parties would make the PPP/C government look good.
But for the opposition parties, that must not happen at all. It is “bad” politics for the opposition to concede even an iota of credit to the ruling party, even when it is manifestly due as in the case of increases in old age pension and lowering of the taxable threshold which will benefit all employees, in particular those in the lower income group.
Instead of commending the government for being able to mobilise development funds in an environment of global economic and financial crisis, the combined opposition in true “Shylockan” style, is sharpening its claws to cut deep into the budget regardless of the consequences to the health and well-being of the nation.
It could not care less if the people of the country were to suffer by virtue of their vindictive and unconscionable acts but they must have, as it were, their pound of flesh.
The truth of the matter is that the larger the size of the budget, the bigger will be its impact on the economy in terms of income generation and hence disposable income.
One immediate consequence of this development will be what economists refer to as the ‘multiplier effect’ in which the additional spending will ultimately find its way in the pockets of people who will, in turn, spend the additional money earned by way of consumption of goods and services. This will result in economic acceleration and a more robust and dynamic economy.
The increasing size of the budget has been responsible for significant growth in the real economy which grew by 4.8 percent last year, the seventh consecutive year of positive growth. This compares favourably with that of Caricom economies which grew by an average of 1.1 percent in 2012 and that of the wider Latin American and Caribbean countries which grew at an average of 3 percent.  The global economy grew by 3.2 percent which puts Guyana ahead of both regional and global averages.
These are facts that cannot be ignored or wished away by the opposition regardless how hard they try to convince the Guyanese people otherwise.
The decline of tourism in the Caribbean due to depressed conditions in most of the developed world has put Guyana in a favourable position vis-à-vis the rest of the Anglo-phone Caribbean which depended heavily on the sale of services as opposed to commodity exports which have not been doing too badly on the international market.
Guyana is turning the corner in terms of economic recovery and the development prospects look good based on commodity prices especially for minerals, in particular gold and bauxite which have now overtaken sugar and rice as the leading foreign exchange earners.
Because of these favourable conditions along with increasing foreign direct investment, the country’s balance sheet is looking good with a surplus in the country’s balance of payments of some US$12.4 million compared to a deficit of US$15 million last year.
The Bank of Guyana ended the year with total external reserves of US$862 million, the highest end of year position ever.
The country’s economy is in good health for which the President and his Cabinet deserve praise and commendation. What is needed now is a new approach to development by the opposition parties based on constructive engagement with the government aimed at consolidating our economic gains and expanding the frontiers of growth and development.