WHEN history is written about the outcome of the 10th Parliament, under the new political dispensation, it would be one of myopia and vindictiveness, according to Presidential Advisor on Governance Ms Gail Teixeira.Ms Teixeira said when history is written about the 10th Parliament it will be about “meanness” based on what was portrayed by the combined Opposition.

Pointing to the US$450 million, which was cut from the national budgets in 2012, 2013, and 2014, Ms. Teixeira said the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) should explain to Guyanese, if going into an election, this is the change they can look forward to.
“What has come out as the change that the Opposition offered the 10th Parliament and is offering Guyanese as we go towards election is myopia because there is no way that any self-respecting political party will cut a number of major projects, would cut a budget, would not allow certain bills to go through, quite innocuous actually, defeat them just to show we have the one-seat majority, we can beat you,” she said in an interview with the state media on Friday.
Making reference to a Kaieteur News’ Peeping Tom article about the incumbent not yielding to a national front government which would bring about a change, Ms. Teixeira said the writer “rather disingenuously” played with the word ‘change’.
“We have to remember that the Opposition promised in 2011, and when we went into Parliament in January 2012, that they were offering a new dispensation and this was changed and they had the one seat more and Guyanese would see the results of this major change.” In fact, Ms. Teixeira pointed out that the change turned out to be some disturbing facts.
“For example, in the 9th Parliament, we passed 140 bills over the period 2006 to November 2011, and many of these bills the Opposition had an input, despite the fact that the Government had the majority…the clear majority,” she said, adding that the Opposition presented amendments to a number of bills and these were negotiated and passed in the House.
In contrast, she said the 10th Parliament has an abysmal record as from it gestation from January 2012 to the period of July 10, the last sitting, only 37 bills were passed, 9 bills were defeated by the Opposition and 4 bills were not assented to.
“So when they talk about ‘change’ is this what they are offering the Guyanese people? The change where important legislation is defeated, that has cost Guyana extraordinarily in terms of the financial investment and also its image internationally,” Teixeira posited.
Citing some examples, Ms Teixeira spoke of the Customs Amendment Bill that had to do with the environmental tax, which in its early days encouraged local companies to become more competitive and mature.
However, a Surinamese company (Rudisa Beverages) took the Government to court and this proved costly for the Government. It took the Bill to be amended in 2013 and this failed and again in 2014, and still failed.
This has cost Guyana millions of US dollars because the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that Guyana must pay as this tax is discriminatory.
“Just take a simple thing like that which we brought twice, we argued on the floor, had discussions, dialogue…they didn’t even allow the bill to have the second reading, they killed it right at that point so they didn’t even allow the debate,” she reminded.
Another example she cited is the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) bill and the Customs Amendment bill.
“We are on the grey list…you cannot come off that list easily…in the meantime it has impacted on business, it has impacted on people having foreign exchange, sending money or receiving money. The consequence to business hasn’t been measured as yet but certainly businesses are saying there are a number of problems they are encountering.”
Both of these scenarios, she noted have cost the country financially, while tarnishing its image on the international front.
Speaking about utterances by the combined Opposition on major transformational projects being reviewed if they get into government, Guyanese, she said, should understand that this means slowing down the progress of the country.
She reminded of the discussions between no less a person than the President, and the Opposition Leader and the reneging of the first two agreements; one of which was the increase in the tariff for Linden.
If given the much needed support, Ms Teixeira said the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project would have been more advanced and the Specialty hospital would have been nearing completion. These were regrettably denied their budgetary allocations.
Fortunately, the Marriott Hotel will soon be opened and will see hundreds of Guyanese being gainfully employed. However, she said it is sad that the Amaila Falls Hydro project did not receive the support from the combined Opposition, as this project would bring benefits to all Guyanese.
“These entire transformative projects which have come about because the Government has liberalised the opportunities for businesses, in particular foreign investments, are all these things going to be under the APNU microscope and what will be the results?” she wondered.