-President Ali says while defending budgetary allocations for infrastructure, human resources

LESS than 24 hours before government and opposition parliamentarians were set to commence debating Guyana’s largest fiscal package of $1.146 trillion in the National Assembly, President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Sunday used facts to debunk criticism of the budgeted sums for the country’s infrastructural transformation and other major programmes.

The Head of State in a live broadcast on his official Facebook page, responded to the numerous inaccurate comments made by the main opposition since the reading of Budget 2024 one week ago.

“I’ve been listening a lot to some of the usual commentators on the budget and they are deliberately trying to mislead, because some of our political operatives believe that policy-making is something that should be partisan,” President Ali said.

The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) policy matrix, he said, is based on the needs of the country and every segment of the population.

“We don’t weaponise, we are not like the opposition who weaponise bauxite, who weaponise sugar.”

Responding directly to recent comments made by members of the country’s opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), President Ali said their aim is to push an agenda of division.

He maintained that the government is pursuing the unification of its citizens and the expansion of the country’s economy “rigorously and aggressively.”

“Whether we invest in electricity subsides alone, $8 billion in Region 10 and we invest billions of dollars in sugar, we invested because we care about the people. We invested because we care about the communities. We are not going to pursue policies that do not address the holistic needs of our country and community.”
He noted the country’s economy is integrated and policy-makers cannot look at the needs of its people through a single lens.

Further delving into the budgetary allocations to build Guyana’s infrastructural landscape, an area which has attracted much criticism from the opposition, the President questioned: “How are we going to improve the time you spend in traffic? How are we going to improve the efficiency of the road system? How are we going to improve the safety our roads? How are we going to expand and open up new lands for housing? How are we going to open up new lands for agriculture?”

In the 2024 fiscal package, a total of $204.1 billion has been allocated to upgrade and expand the country’s roads and bridges network and another $73.2 billion is budgeted in 2024 to continue the government’s programme of constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining community roads.

He explained that the government is also creating an enabling environment for further investment.

The budgetary funds for this sector are set to benefit thousands, with billions allocated for the upgrading of major road networks, such as the construction of the new four-lane Demerara Harbour Bridge, as well as upgrades to airstrips, roads and bridges in the hinterland regions.

“It is very funny to listen to some of these guys criticise the investment in infrastructure and then in the same breath speak about improved services.”

He explained that the investments outlined for the infrastructural sector is just one component of Budget 2024 and these will complement many other aspects of the country.

“How are we going to improve the healthcare system if we don’t invest in the healthcare? How are we going to improve the fire service, if we don’t invest in better [and] more equipment? That is just one component of the transformation we invest in the infrastructure, ensuring that we invest in the physical assets.”

The investments to the sector, he said, are holistic in creating connectivity within the regions across Guyana, reducing travel time and increasing the competitiveness of several industries.
“That is what infrastructure will do… [It] will lead to wealth creation and open up new opportunities for the future; open up new opportunities for the economy,” President Ali added.

HUMAN RESOURCES
Another major component of the government’s transformation matrix is human resource. Massive investments have been made in this area and this trend, according to President Ali, will continue in 2024.

He explained that the government is making investments to diversify and build a modern economy; simultaneously, investments are being made to create an ecosystem that will support the aspirations of Guyanese.

“That is why we are investing in more GOAL [Guyana Online Academy of Learning] scholarship programmes. We are investing more in training and development; we are spending with Exxon more than US$120 million on the new national training centre, [and] building a school of hospitality….

“We are building new nursing schools; we want to give our people the best possible health and education services. That is why we have to build and invest in the technology, building the knowledge economy,” he added.