GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament (MP), Yvonne Fredericks-Pearson said, on Wednesday, that the People’s Progressive Party Civic is a caring government which will work to continue projects which will benefit Guyanese, including those living in the hinterland regions.

She participated in Day Three of the 2020 budget debates coming up in line with Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald Cox, who also spoke on the many disadvantages faced by citizens in the hinterland.

With her party back in power, Fredericks-Pearson promised the House that development in remote regions will continue and at a faster pace than under the former administration.

The Government MP stated that projects of the opposition like the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) programme which replaced the Community Support Officers (CSOs) were “total failures”.

Meanwhile, she pointed out that, had the APNU+AFC adhered to the laws of Guyana, the PPP/C would have been able to present a better budget long in advance to the Guyanese people. On the same matter, Fredericks-Pearson notified the MPs that the now opposition has already spent more than half of budget 2020 but there is little to show for it in the country.

She told the opposition: “Now you’re calling the budget all sorts of things but you, unauthorised, illegal, spent the money and here we are now, we have to perform [a] miracle to meet all the demands that is now being made. This is Budget 2020, we are in September, we just have a few more months. Honourable members, I would like you to look out for budget 2021.”

When he rose to speak, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Ronald Cox, said the coalition invested heavily in the development of Indigenous communities during their time in office.

He said that, under the APNU+AFC, many services were decentralised such as the establishment of a regional office for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Mabaruma; a Central Commanding Center for the Guyana Police Force (GPF); an upgraded airstrip and the completion of the district hospital in Port Kaituma and the completion of the road from Wauna to Yarikita to name a few.

As a senior teacher at the Northwest Secondary School, Cox also spent much time on the topic of education. He reminded the government that education cannot be equally distributed but it must be equitably distributed so that no child in the hinterland region is left behind. He also urged the government that before embarking on new education projects it must consider the implementation details and whether it stands to benefit students.

“I want to remind my fellow Indigenous brothers and sisters that we must hold the government responsible and demand what was promised to us,” he said.