House throws out Coalition’s ‘ill-conceived’ shore-base motion
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh

THE National Assembly on Thursday night voted against the establishment of a multi-stakeholder taskforce to prepare a land-use policy. In his submission, mover of the motion David Patterson said the policy is important in order to provide guidance on the building of shore-bases for the oil and gas industry.
Rising to make his contribution, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, criticised the formulation of the motion which he said points to “ineptitude and incompetence.” “It would appear that the author of this motion is of the view that a national land-use policy would somehow dictate which areas are to be used for what; and whether the Berbice River or the Demerara River or where should be used for shore base and where should not be used for shore-base,” Dr. Singh said.
He posited that the motion “highlights a fundamental lack of understanding of what a land-use policy really is.”
The minister stated definitively that “a land use policy will not dictate what areas will be used for what; a land use policy, Sir, will instead outline the broad principles that will govern the management and use of land.

” Dr. Singh indicated that by its very definition, a land-use policy cannot focus on a particular sector, and therefore could not focus specifically on the shore-bases for the oil and gas sector, as is being requested by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) opposition. In relation to the establishment of an actual land-use policy, Dr. Singh questioned the motive behind the motion, pointing to the absence of any such policy in the APNU+AFC’s last two manifestos. “One has to ask one’s self, what were they doing in the last five years?” Dr. Singh queried, as he pointed to the APNU+AFC’s tenure in office. Further, Dr. Singh highlighted that the contents of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s 2020 Manifesto, which made specific reference to the establishment of a “formal inter-agency mechanism for the purpose of coordination among the forestry, mining, agriculture settlements and infrastructural sectors, etcetera.” He said that the government in its manifesto committed to the implementation of the national land-use policy with a regional dimension, and which harmonises residential and commercial interests. Also debating the subject was Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Opposition Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan. As the motion was put to the floor, it failed to garner enough support from the House.

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