– ‘We are tired and fed-up with the political tug-o-war taking place’, says Ramesh Dookhoo

FORMER Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo has issued a call for what he described as “parliamentary achievement.”

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday, regarding expectations for this year’s National Budget in light of the cuts over the last two years by the combined Parliamentary Opposition, he said: “We need to move forward.
“We just want the budget to go through. We want all the transformational projects to go through and we want there to be parliamentary achievement. We want the Parliament to work for the people of Guyana.”
Dookhoo remarked that parliamentarians were put there to work for the people of Guyana and “they are not doing that at the moment.”
He alluded to the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, declaring: “We want, basically, the politicians to work together; we want to see less arrogance and more work in Parliament.”

POLITICAL TUG-O-WAR
Dookhoo continued: “I think the Private Sector, generally, is suffering from a depression right now. We are tired and fed up with the political tug-o-war that is taking place in Guyana and it’s time that politicians on all sides take on a new orientation.”
He said budget cuts is a big problem for the private sector, adding: “Generally, I think the investment community has been extremely cautious about new investments in Guyana.”

NEGATIVE CLIMATE
“The constant harassment of persons wanting to invest in Guyana is creating a negative climate for us,” declared Dookhoo, who is the newly elected President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC).
He recalled that the last time the local private sector met with President Donald Ramotar, the Head of State indicated that he is instituting measures to have Shadow Ministers of the Opposition be apart of the budget process at the time when the Government Ministers are preparing their budgets.
“In other words, he is not waiting for the time when it goes to the Finance Minister. So, if Joseph Harmon is the Shadow Minister of Public Works, he will be called in the room with the minister to submit his proposals,” Dookhoo explained.
He said: “We are very hopeful that that system would work and the politicians would behave themselves and stop creating strife in the country and try to work with each other.”
Dookhoo emphasised the importance of projects such as the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Marriott Hotel, which are all linked to a deliberate transformational strategy for Guyana.
“How does the President of Guyana unify us and take us forward and ensure that he has the support of the opposition? I think the onus is upon him,” the now CAIC President said.

(By Priya Ali)