UNDER the previous administration, “Guyana could not even make its integrity commission functional,” Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said during his Budget presentation, noting that the country is in a better position today citing specifically, a 2011 Ram and McRae Report which spoke to a mountain of corruption under the PPP.

In his Friday evening presentation in the National Assembly, the prime minister rebuked the opposition’s accusations of corruption within this current administration.

He noted that it was the Coalition that has made greater efforts to clamp down on corruption.

“We revived the Integrity Commission… today we have a functioning Integrity Commission that is asking and going after the declaration of assets and incomes of public officials,” the prime minister said.

The prime minister said under the post Jagan PPP regime children “used to spell the word corruption with three ‘P’s, corruPPPtion.”

Speaking specifically of the former President and now Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said according to the 2011 report, his presidency was riddled with corruption.

“Ram and McRae said this …they concluded that the (2011) Executive Presidency was synonymous with dictatorship,” Nagamootoo said.

The prime minister says even though the damage done to the country under the PPP/C has left is scars, the coalition government remains committed to fighting corruption as it “hinders economic growth and development and undermines public confidence in the administration.”

He said no one should benefit from unjust enrichment. “In 2011, the leader of the opposition was in his last days as president and Ram and McRae asked rhetorically what would be Jagdeo’s legacy and this is what they wrote: “The Presidency has witnessed corruption rising to heights that are as dramatic as the depth of governance.”

He continued: “The public sector has effectively been subservient to the political directorate, the independence of the judiciary was under constant threat, the gap between rich and poor is widening in a chasm, and fear of victimisation has silenced civil society, the business community and independent professionals.”

Further, the prime minister said the Ram and McRae 2011 report also stated the Executive Presidency was synonymous with dictatorship and today the same PPP leaders are in condemnation of the government after being accused of a mountain of corruption.

Meanwhile, in response to the opposition’s rejection of the 2019 national budget, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said the opposition continuously described the budget as visionless and lacking in investments.

He said the opposition’s rejection is confusing as they seek to condemn the very thing, they wish to advocate which is jobs for citizens.

“The opposition during these debates say there are no jobs” …but the opposition opposes $16 Billion set aside for public servants …they condemn the very thing they are advocating for,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.

He said that the budget will not only benefit public servants, but will also aide in the alleviation of food shortages, as much emphasis has been placed on agricultural development.

“Monies from the $300.7-billion budget ensures that the programmes in health, education, housing, water and security sectors are adequately funded, jobs must be maintained …. In this budget, agriculture will get a big boost, securing the livelihood of our farmers0,” the prime minister said.

Jagdeo said that the people of Guyana have been badly served by the government through negotiations that display incompetence, which he believes damages Guyana’s prospects for economic growth.

He noted that though they continuously referred to the looming prospect of first oil, none of the government speakers addressed the oil contract with ExxonMobil in their budget speeches. He said that in their reluctance to mention the contract, the government continues to recite the successes of ExxonMobil worldwide.

Jagdeo related to the National Assembly that none of the themes that characterise a good budget, such as transformative measures for the economy or empowering citizens are actually present.

“None of this will be achieved through this budget as it is currently configured. In fact, we believe that these goals are not only unattainable, but many of the measures outlined in the budget will run counter to those objectives. So for anyone to have an understanding of the state of the economy and the future economic health of the country, we have to do an in depth analysis,” the opposition leader said.