Dear Editor,
TODAY I write to you with a lot of content in my heart regarding the 2022 budget which was presented in Parliament just a few days ago. I listened keenly to the presentation by the Hon Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and I must say that every minute of that five-hour-long speech was worthwhile. I took notes of several things that really had a lasting impact on me and as such, I ask that you permit me to highlight some of those.

It is my view that when we hear about budgets, automatically our minds linger in the direction of development, whether that be in the form of infrastructural development or social development in the sense that we will all be better off. This 2022 budget was focused on every aspect of development for Guyana and I am so happy that emphasis was placed on building ‘One Guyana.’ With this in mind, I must say that I am fully supportive of the budget’s theme, “Steadfast Against All Challenges, Resolute in Building Our One Guyana.”

Editor, I wish to touch on three specific areas of the budget that I feel ought to be given more commendation. The first area is that of public safety and security. The PPP/C Government has budgeted $47.9B to help in this regard. However, out of this sum, $88.9M was allocated to be spent to train 1,400 inmates in areas such as anger management, literacy and numeracy and tailoring. I was extremely pleased to see that emphasis was placed not only on the general population, but also those in our prison system. It is my view that development ought to meet every corner of Guyana, especially now that Guyana is on an expansive path to prosperity. As such, knowing that the government has acknowledged the need for those in our prison system to better themselves by providing more opportunities to them really warms my heart.

Additionally, budget 2022 provides much-needed support for our Amerindian brothers and sisters. In fact, $3.1B was budgeted to assist in Amerindian and Hinterland Development Programmes which ought to be commended. The government has ensured that Amerindian communities are not forgotten, as was the case during the APNU+AFC time in office. I was very excited to learn that $3.4B is budgeted for the hinterland roads programme to improve connectivity, which I think is a well-deserved area, especially since the aim of the government is building “One Guyana.” At the same time, the fact that approximately 200 hinterland communities are expected to benefit from the deployment of VSAT equipment to facilitate connectivity, for the first time in many instances, is another heartwarming area of this budget.

Lastly, I must mention the allocation that was made to support the First Lady’s Menstrual Hygiene initiative, which is something that I feel needs more attention. This initiative is one that will benefit thousands of young girls across Guyana and the $50M allocation will definitely allow the initiative to reach all parts of the country and will push Guyana one step closer towards ending period poverty. I commend the Government of Guyana and more specifically, the First Lady, for this, as Guyana is one of the few countries actively trying to end period poverty.

All in all, I think Budget 2022 is one that will further propel Guyana to higher heights and I cannot stress enough on how thankful I am for the provisions that were made in all the areas, especially those that I’ve outlined.

Respectfully yours,
Brian Azore