APNU/AFC’s Budget 2017 is not bitter pill, it is bad medicine

 

Budget 2017 is clearly a rudderless ship. There is no comprehensive plan to grow the economy and to improve the social well-being of Guyanese, from our children, to our workers and our senior citizens. Budget 2017 is an outright assault on our workers, the youth, our women. It is egregious to all of Guyana’s main businesses – mining, sugar, rice, ICT, tourism, local manufacturing, small businesses in general. The crafters of Budget 2017 appear infatuated with the voodoo economics and social development nightmare that destroyed Guyana in the 1970s and 1980s. The APNU/AFC cabinet chose to throw darts and see where and if they will stick. It is experimentation with spurious ideas and beliefs.

Civil society, including groups and individuals who are strongly supportive of APNU/AFC, has firmly condemned Budget 2017 as anti-people, anti-development. Christopher Ram, a strong supporter of APNU/AFC, summarizes what the majority of Guyanese are convinced of: Budget 2017 portents disaster for Guyana. In the midst of the universal uproar against Budget 2017, one expects a reasonable government, one that is sensitive to what people think, would take a step back and re-examine what they have proposed. In any case, reasonable or not, any government in a democratic state has an obligation to listen. Instead, APNU/AFC has dug in and chastised everyone, insisting that APNU/AFC knows what is best and even though the Guyanese people do not know it, the Budget is good for them. APNU/AFC demands people to stop complaining.

At no point has anyone in the Government, outside and inside of the Budget debate, sought to assure the Guyanese people that there is any rhyme or reason for the various Budget measures. Instead of addressing the fear Budget 2017 has inspired, APNU/AFC has exacerbated the fear and genuine disgust of the people. APNU/AFC insists that only the PPP and a small band of people are opposed to Budget 2017. But the truth is that the vast majority of people are opposed to Budget 2017. In part the Government’s attitude is shaped by its own DNA – a blueprint of arrogance, disrespect and intolerance. But ultimately, their forceful dismissal of the criticisms more reflects their inability to defend the utter senselessness of the Budget.

Hence, they have resorted to insults, arrogance and absolute nonsense. The height of hypocrisy was when Minister Trotman, instead of addressing people’s concern, arrogantly declared the private sector is just a group of complainers and whiners. Minister Broomes remonstrated miners, telling them they should trust the Government because even though the miners think they know what is best for them, they really do not. Minister Scott had the temerity to tell people that the new VAT regime is a Christmas gift. Minister Amna Ally insisted Budget 2017 will result in racial unity.

Minister Roopnarine complained it is not his responsibility to defend the expenditure in the 2017 Budget. He could only conclude the rationale for allocating $43 billion, almost 20 per cent of the 2017 Budget, to education is simply that education is in crisis. Minister Cathy Hughes declared that 14 per cent VAT on internet customers is necessary to develop communication and ICT. Minister Patterson insists VAT on medical services and items, is punishing the rich because only rich people go to private hospitals.

Minister Jordon shamefully informed us that Budget 2017 did not address the needs of public servants because they are lethargic and unproductive. He continued his shameless presentation by stating that investing in sugar is a waste of time. He explained that VAT on water and electricity is a conservation measure. In fact, he happily informed us that Budget 2017 is the “wisest” budget ever. He reminds me of something that throws faeces on the wall and insists it is a work of exquisite art.

Clearly, APNU/AFC could not defend its budget. In the absence of growing the economy, they designed a budget to extract the maximum in taxes from people. In order to sustain APNU/AFC’s squandermania Budget 2016 and 2017, they have introduced or increased 200 different taxes. APNU/AFC has taxed people’s bread, their water, electricity, internet, condoms, vitamins, everything you could think of. Trotman tells us Budget 2017 is a bitter pill, packed with good for us. But Budget 2017, sadly, is nothing but bad medicine. (Send comments to [email protected])