With Jeune Bailey Van Keric

Region 6 approves $6.2B 2015 Budget after much heated debate

THE Region 6 (East Berice/Corentyne) Democratic Council has approved the $6.2B+ proposed budget for 2015.

The $6,628,642,296 budgetary proposal for Region 6 will be sent to the Ministry of Local Government for further perusal before it is included in the 2015 National Budget.

After much heated debate from both sides of the floor, the proposal received approval from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) when the regional councillors met last week Thursday for their monthly statutory meeting.
Prior to the budget being passed, AFC Councillor Rohan Jaggassar accused the administration of not giving councillors enough time to peruse the proposal. He said the document was circulated to councillors on the previous evening, allowing limited time for its perusal.

Recounting, Jaggassar said: “Last year, (2013) we were not given enough time to peruse and agree on the financial statement. During that period, we had $6M budgeted for electrical fans, however, because of insufficient time, no explanations were forthcoming with respect to where needed the fans.

“We did not have sufficient time to see whether the purchase of the fans was justified,” he stormed, before exiting the meeting.

However, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Paul Ramrattan, in response, quickly denied that there was a $6M price tag for fans, and lambasted the councillor for making ‘the usual false allegation.’

Meanwhile, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Councillor Jevaughn Stephens noted that it was a good idea for the councillors to go through the budget proposal, but it was unfair for the administration to give councillors less than twenty-four hours to meet and make meaningful contributions.

“We would all like to approve this budget, but we need more time. So I am proposing that this meeting be postponed for a later date,” he offered, but the REO noted that councillors were given until June 30 to submit their proposals, but the Opposition side did not comply.

“As a result, this put more strain on the administration to prepare a balanced budget, even without the input of the joint Opposition,” the REO said.

Ramrattan noted that the only Opposition councillor to submit a proposal was Donna Mathoo, but the AFC councillors noted that their two proposals had not been reflected in the 2015 proposal.

APNU’S Corwin Crawford was high in praise for the administration for a proposal which will see ”an improved living accommodation for students at the Amerindian Hostel at Stanleytown in New Amsterdam.”

He congratulated the administration for making arrangements to have students from the Canje riverine communities take up temporary residence at the Amerindian Hostel.

The APNU spokesperson also questioned the administration for including DBST surface roads in the 2015 budgetary proposals, while noting that a decision had been taken not to have DBST roads constructed in Region 6.

“This is because they last only for three months… We had decided that it is a waste of the Region’s money because after three months the money is gone and the roads are back to square one…”

However, Acting Regional Chairman Bopaul Jhagroo responded that while the administration wanted to see asphalt-surfaced roadways in the region, that would not presently be possible.
And Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo said the $10M proposed for purchase of 120 computers in the health sector was not sufficient. “One hundred and twenty computers are not enough… When a patient accesses medical care at the various health institutions, I would like to see their record computerised,” he said.

According to Dr Mahadeo, the computerisation process has started, but the exercise has to be extended to the health centres across the region.