At a community meeting held in Rose Hall, Berbice on Saturday, the Ministers of Home Affairs and Health, Clement Rohee and Dr. Bheri Ramsaran respectively, and Member of Parliament for Region 6, Faizal Jaffarally debunked the opposition’s assertions that government has not presented a budget that meets the needs of Guyanese.

Jaffarally in his presentation emphasised that the Region is proud of the budget particularly since several consultations were held within a number of villages. Those meetings reflected the will of the people, Jaffarally said.
He is of the view that Region 6 got a fair share of the budget which would enable the delivery of services in the health, education, agriculture, housing and water  and public works sectors.
He recalled the behaviour of the Opposition during the ongoing budget debate, and pointed out that they have not been able to put forward any strong criticims of the budget. He expressed the hope that good sense would prevail by the Opposition which has already threatened  to cut the budget.

Pro-poor budget
Minister Ramsaran noted that Guyana is at a very important juncture in its history, and  described the 2013 budget as having a bias for the social sectors, especially education and health which account for the largest sector allocations. That realisation refutes claims by the Opposition that the budget is not pro-poor. Minister Ramsaran posited that the budget builds on massive investments in the past, and a good reflection is seen in the gains attained by the National Ophthalmology Hospital in Port Mourant. He was referring to the fact that cataract and other eye related diseases are  not so common due to the efforts of the ophthalmology hospital.
The Minister recognised that the budget also comes at a time when the economy is doing well, and has recorded consecutive growth annually over the last seven years.
Importantly, youths are the main beneficiaries of the budget, contrary to what the Opposition has said. Minister Ramsaran indicated that in education, Guyana is doing well at the CXC level, and high achievers are not only from the top schools, but from  the rural and hinterland schools.
With regards to medical training, 278 doctors are expected back from Cuba this year, and there are  about 1000 nurses at various stages of training in the three nursing schools.

Gov’t responsibiity
Minister Rohee posited that as the economy grows, the government will be able to spend more on citizens, and added that at that time(future) Region 6 will be the most fortunate. The Minister was referring to the prospects of oil discovery.
In response to MP Carl Greenidge ‘s statement that the sugar industry was a black hole and that the sugar workers were Government’s problem, Minister Rohee recalled the days when he negiotated for sugar at the level of Caricom. “I told the world that for this country sugar is not an industry… Sugar for Guyana is a way of life,” he said.
He added that the other sugar industries in the Caribbean have either virtually disappeared or reduced operations. “Guyana is the only country in the Caribbean with a viable sugar industry, and also has a bright future for sugar…we cannot afford to shut down the sugar industry, too many lives depend on sugar,” he said.
The Minister also pointed out the benefits of the electricity subsidies, reduction is taxes, increase in pension and other measures.
Several other meetings   were held in Regions 2, 3, 4 and 5 with the intention of making citizens aware of the offerings of the budget and the ongoing debate. (GINA)