…finance minister assures public servants they’ll be paid
…says international community continues to recognise government
By Paul Mc Adam
FINANCE MINISTER, Winston Jordan, has allayed the fears of public servants and other government employees in relation to payment of salaries. He rubbished claims by the opposition and other groups that the administration was illegal, pointing to the continued recognition by the international community and the series of high-profile engagements he had had with multinational partners.
In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday (Monday, March 11, 2019), Minister Jordan sought to assure the public that, in keeping with the chief justice’s ruling, Cabinet has resigned but government continues to function. The minister explained that there was a budget which was passed by the National Assembly, “and it is for the government to execute that budget. That is what we have been doing and that is what we will continue to do,” Jordan stated.
On the issue of contracts, as allocated for in the 2019 budget, Minister Jordan said that those were part of the government’s responsibility to execute, as part of the budget. “There is nothing that we have done unlawfully and we will continue to observe all the laws of the country.” The opposition has argued that the government could not sign any new contract.
RECOGNITION
With regards to international financial partners and stakeholders, the finance minister said clarifications have been sought (as expected) but none has held back any loan or grant earmarked for this country. At his recent news conference, leader of the opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, had threatened to invite international sanctions on Guyana.
However, Jordan pointed out that, as recent as Sunday, March 10, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development approved a technical assistance package for Guyana. This assistance will be used to fund the study for the Belfield to Rosignol Road. The present scope of works for the road expansion project on the East Coast only addresses the widening of the road from Plaisance to Belfield, but the coalition government has proposed continuing the project to Rosignol, Berbice.
The funding for the next leg of the road project resulted from the finance minister’s recent visit to the Middle Eastern country, after he requested assistance from Kuwaiti officials. The approval was granted on Sunday, a normal working day for that country.
In addition, two loan agreements with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) were signed by Minister Jordan, earlier this year, and he was set to sign another agreement with the World Bank. The latter will be directed to the oil and gas sector. There was also a recently-concluded successful mission from the Islamic Development Bank, and the potential for Guyana to tap into a total of US$900M in loans and grants.
Minister Jordan’s latest comments come on the heels of his presentation at a recent Guyana Day Forum in Canada, which attracted a large audience. The minister added, “I was the featured speaker and for the first time we had the room overflowing with people. We had to accommodate some of them in a side room. I had many meetings. I was even invited to a round table, closed door meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister.”
The minister made it clear that if the government was behaving unlawfully, the international community would have already ‘dismounted’. He reiterated, “There is no crisis in Guyana. There will not be a crisis in Guyana. The government is in place. The government is working for all the people. The government has a budget in place!” Minister Jordan is optimistic that Guyanese, including public servants and others, are much wiser than to listen to the “chest thumping and bleatings of the opposition”.
He assured, “that come March 21st they will be paid. Come April 21st they will be paid and come whenever, they will be paid, in accordance with the budget that has been passed,” Minister Jordan said.
