PRESIDENT of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Clinton Urling is urging the opposition to focus on accountability and transparency when it comes to the 2013 Budget in its parliamentary debates.

In an interview with this publication last week, Urling declared that the opposition should either totally accept the budget or make sensible cuts where necessary.
He noted, however, that what should be carefully considered is the opposition debating and looking to target and cut allocations without any consideration. The opposition, he highlighted needs to justify their initiative to cut the allocations set by the budget and to do so with a very solid validation.
Moreover, he advised that cuts to the 2013 Budget should not be made just because the opposition does not wish to support government’s programme.
Urling also encouraged the opposition to focus on accountability and transparency when it comes to the budget and they should allow the budget to go through, since in his opinion it is quite an excellent budget as it is the government’s economic plan to develop Guyana.

Look At Developments
He noted that over the years the country has seen those economic plans transforming rapidly to economic growth and the Government of Guyana should be given the space to run with the economic plan for the budget and the opposition should look at these developments before thinking of budget cuts.
Urling  emphasised too  that he wishes to discourage the opposition from lashing out at private sector agencies, as quite recently one parliamentarian lashed out at the Private Sector Commission (PSC)  and the GCCI after opining that the government only consults with the GCCI and PSC on certain issues and other agencies are left out.

Over $20B from PSC and GCCI
He noted, however, that both entities play a highly important and enormous role in Guyana’s economy as the companies linked with the PSC and GCCI contribute over 20 billion dollars and almost 15 percent towards total government revenue annually.
The PSC are the ones employing persons and creating a lot of opportunities for community development, etc., he asserted,and it is quite ungenerous to say that the PSC doesn’t care about the average or small man in society.
Concluding Urling maintained that “every decision that we make is made not based on politics but on a strong economic foundation.”