DESCRIBING the $31.4B in cuts from the 2013 Budget as ‘illogical’ and

‘unjustifiable,’ Guyanese Head of State President  Donald Ramotar has undertaken to do “everything that is legally necessary to do to restore” the allocations.
The President made this vow during a media conference he hosted yesterday at Office of the President, where he lamented the positions adopted by the combined Opposition (AFC and APNU), despite the repeated overtures on the part of Government to address concerns regarding the various projects affected.
According to Mr. Ramotar, there is currently significant interest in investments in Guyana and reminded of a recent engagement in Trinidad and Tobago, where he was invited to meet with its Business Chambers to explore opportunities for local investments.
President Ramotar said  the crude manner in which the cuts were effected to the 2013 Budget, did not in any way augur well for the country, especially in light of the economic momentum achieved in recent years.

DIALOGUE
Government, he said,  has been more than transparent over the past two years through a number of meetings with members of the Opposition, providing clarity on the many projects that it still proceeded to cut from the budget.
The President also told reporters he will have to sign the Appropriation Bill (Budget), as had been amended through the $31.4B cuts, as it is the only way to ensure that government has the money to run the country.
Responding to assertions by the Opposition that it was ready to restore some of the cuts effected, Mr.  Ramotar retorted that it was a ‘strange’ position being adopted and asked “why make the cuts in the first place.”

He said the projects represent not only a maintaining, but an acceleration of the social and economic development of the country that “has now been challenged in a crude way in the National Assembly.”
Speaking to the largest cut from the budget, namely Guyana’s equity to the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project to the tune of $16B (out of the $19B chopped from the LCDS programme), Ramotar told media operatives that with cheaper, cleaner and reliable energy there will be an immediate benefit to consumers.
This project he said can be regarded as the single most critical “for further industrialisation and processing within the society.”

MASSIVE SURPRISE
The cut, he said, was not as a result of a lack of consultation, “or not providing answers to questions that have been asked.”
The President pointed out that on no less than two occasions the Opposition had been invited “to brief them on this extremely important project for our country.”
According to the Head of State, both parties (AFC and APNU) had benefited from the inputs of Government’s technical personnel.
“We also told them that when they would have consulted with their technical people then we are prepared to answer further questions on the project….we never heard another question from them,” said Ramotar.
He said that more recently, the Opposition was again invited to be briefed on the progress being made on the project “and again they expressed support…so for me it was a massive surprise that they would be voting against this.”
“An assault”, was how the President described the cut to the locally pioneered and globally acclaimed and recognised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) programme.
The Alliance For Change (AFC), he said, had refused to be a part of the most recent briefing on the LCDS project.

NO JUSTIFICATION, DEFIES LOGIC
President Ramotar said “there seems to be absolutely no justification to cut such an important project that can really put our country on the forward march.”
He said what is even more ‘sad’ about the negative votes, is that the Opposition had voted in favour of the monies for the project last year when it had come up for debate.
Ramotar said that another of the cuts that defied logic is that of the Specialty Hospital.
An AFC-led cut that found support from A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) saw the $1.2B allocation for the construction of the Specialty Hospital being haemorrhaged from the national budget.
In underscoring the importance of the Hospital, Ramotar said that such a facility will lift the quality and standard of medical services that would be provided domestically.
Regardless of political persuasion, all are open to falling ill, said Ramotar.
The President said too that a number of persons in the Diaspora would have indicated a desire to relocate to Guyana but are hesitant, given that  certain medical services and procedures are unavailable locally.
These, he said, include persons wanting to retire in Guyana.
The Head of State said that with the Specialty Hospital, it will help to make complicated medical procedures available, “to the Guyanese people at large but it can also serve as a major revenue stream for our country.”

ILLOGICAL
According to President Ramotar, “this is another project that seems so illogical to cut….it defies logic, in that why would someone want to deprive the people of this country of services that can be provided to save lives.”
He said it was hoped that the 33 members in the benches of the political Opposition would have been all too happy to support, “any of us, no matter which political party we support (as) all of us are open to getting sick.”
On the slash to the Public Works Ministry where the combined Opposition slashed the entire $5.6B allocation for its Transport Programme, the Head of State said: “We talk a lot about how much tourism potential we have and here is an important project to realise that potential…here is an important project that can be extremely beneficial to us as another revenue stream,” yet the Opposition cut this vitally important budgetary allocation.
The cut to the Transport Section of the Public Works Ministry’s budget came following a blunder on the part of the two Opposition parties, in isolating the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion project to be cut.
APNU’s Carl Greenidge and the AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan had both submitted motions to cut the proposals for the Airport Expansion Project.
Both contained errors, in that it attempted to cut more money than had even been allocated for the project.
Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman, denied both motions at which point the Opposition slashed the capital expenditure for the entire programme, including monies to rehabilitate a number of interior airstrips as well as purchase critical aviation equipment.
The Head of State yesterday roundly rejected the move by the AFC and APNU saying that with an upgraded airport, “we see the possibility of turning our country into a major hub between the northern and southern hemisphere of the world.”
He said that taking advantage of Guyana’s geographical location can also serve to add to the country’s revenue stream.

INHUMANE
According to Ramotar, the cutting of monies intended to upgrade interior airstrips, has to be seen not only in an economic context but humanitarian, also.
Ramotar said that throughout the year a number of medical evacuations were undertaken that saved lives.
Within the past week Roraima Airways undertook two such medivacs at night.
“Here again there seems to have been no humanitarian consideration,” said the Guyanese leader.
President Ramotar was adamant that: “I will work, do everything that is legally necessary to do, to work to restore these cuts.”
He said Guyanese should not be made to lose the social and economic benefits that accompany the projects cut by the Opposition.
Ramtoar said it appears to be that only the 33 members in the APNU/AFC seats of parliament are opposed to the projects and drew reference to the most recent meeting of the multi-stakeholder forum where there was loud support for the budget.
On March 25 last Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh presented a $208B Budget and after weeks of gruelling debate and consideration, the National Assembly approved $177B removing  more than $31B.
The cuts effected includes a $5.2B transfer to the Guyana Power and Light Inc which, according to officials, could very well see the utility company being forced to increase its tariffs.