– MP Ramsaran tells House

THE University of Guyana (UG) lecturer, pandit and now Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Dineshwar Jaiprashad, sought to convince the National Assembly, on Tuesday, that Budget 2020 has nothing to offer the poor class. However, he was met with the responses of Government MPs Dr. Bheri Ramsaran and Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo.

Addressing the House for the first time, Opposition MP said: “This budget was designed to give a few rich persons the opportunity to continue to trample on the lives of the poor.”

The PPP/C had pointed out that senior members of the coalition, when in government, had enriched themselves and neglected its grassroot supporters, who in turn, turned against them in the March 2 Regional and General Elections.

Jaiprashad also criticised the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C’s) $10,000 cash grant and said the coalition raised minimum wages to $70,000, which he said puts more money into the pockets of Guyanese monthly. Junior Public Works Minister, Deodat Indar, on Monday flayed the coalition for heavily taxing the citizenry and reducing their spending power.

The opposition MP also pointed out that it was under the APNU+AFC administration that Guyana recorded its highest levels of rice production but Dr. Mahadeo informed the House that much of this success must be attributed to the farmers themselves and not the coalition, as it rendered no help to farmers when they were most in need.

“The success of rice in Guyana was not because of the APNU+AFC. It was in spite of the APNU+AFC. It was due to the farmers’ hard work,” Dr. Mahadeo said.

Meanwhile, coming after Jaiprashad was former health minister, Dr. Ramsaran. Addressing the House, he cut the chase: “Guyana only made progress when the PPP/C was in office”.

He said that while the “pause button” was pressed for the last five years, Guyana will now be able to breathe again.

Though Jaiprashad had his list of criticisms of the PPP/C, Dr. Ramsaran said that the lives of Guyanese nationwide are being put at risk due to the shortages in medical supplies and drugs as a result of the APNU+AFC’s inefficient management of the health sector.

“This is affecting our supporters, your supporters. When you’re not having the medication for chronic diseases and have to go to the corner shop and buy it, that’s okay, you’re getting it but you might not be getting it in adequate quantities and persistent… it opens you up, to a larger degree, of becoming a victim of COVID or even an ordinary flu,” he informed the House.

The former health minister said that this is why he is pleased to see the amount of money being dedicated to the sector at the central level so that supplies needed can be purchased and distributed to the various Regions. Out of the $51.7 billion budgeted for health, Dr. Ramsaran said that the party can boast of the large sums put aside for training in the health sector through post-graduate studies.

The doctor submitted that there are adequate resources in the budget to ensure that the learning process continues and that Guyana gradually becomes independent of foreigners.