Your Eyewitness was a bit flip about the Opposition Leader’s comment that the Budget just delivered was “Dead Meat”. But, then again, the statement wasn’t exactly seriously analytical!! And that’s why your Eyewitness felt he was just “throwin’ talk” at the beleaguered AFC leader!! But, thankfully, the LoO did expand on this facile assessment, cause this is critical in a parliamentary democracy. As a matter of fact, the Opposition’s primary role in our governmental setup is to present itself as a “Government in waiting” – proposing alternatives to Government’s policies so we, the people, would consider voting for them at the next elections.
One site reported that the LoO criticised the Government’s “temporary job” programme wherein thousands across the country collect $40,000 monthly for 10 days of some “made up” jobs – reminiscent of FDR’s pioneering efforts that got America out of its Great Depression. What was a bit confusing to your Eyewitness was his follow-up charge that the Budget “has no measures to stimulate manufacturing by reducing the cost of living.” Now this might be a revolutionary economic insight, but your obviously challenged Eyewitness doesn’t understand how one can “stimulate manufacturing by reducing the cost of living”!!
Isn’t our cost-of-living jump – contributing to inflation – due primarily to international supply-chain disruptions, like the wheat supplies from Ukraine that have pushed prices upwards?? How exactly can the Government reduce this apart from doing what it’s already done – subsidising the higher freight costs?? Your Eyewitness awaits the fuller explanation. Incredibly, the LoO criticised the Government’s entire direct “assistance” programme: “While I agree that there is need for assistance, one also recognises that if you are putting money into the system without measures to deal with inflation, the cost of living will go up further; and so, in some regard, this budget is recipe for increasing the cost of living of the people.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t identify what other measures the Government could’ve introduced, since our inflation isn’t caused by the classic “too much money chasing too few goods” scenario, but is “exogenously” generated, as explained above!! Again, one awaits – with bated breath – further potentially economically revolutionary explications. Especially when he repeated earlier Opposition calls for direct distribution of oil revenues to the people, when he claimed, “The emphasis appeared to focus on statistical economic growth rather than on disbursing monies to the people from oil revenues.” Guess the LoO’s gonna explain why the above transfers from the Consolidated Funds – augmented by Oil Revenues from the NRF – are inflationary, but the direct cash transfers from the Fund aren’t!!
Your Eyewitness predicts that as soon as these explanations are offered during the coming Budget Debate, it’s sayonara to the PPP!!
…traumatising school kids
Your Eyewitness thought that ALL Guyanese – across all aisles – agree that education for our kids is critical for their development – and consequently for the nation’s, as we stand on the cusp of moving up, up and away!! But somebody – or bodies – out there seem determined to further some nefarious agenda of theirs by attacking schools. Most glaringly was the razing of the Christ Church Secondary School last week, and that of, St George’s last year – both in the middle of Georgetown. Before them, your Eyewitness can recall the razing of another at Mabaruma, and the One-Mile Primary School at Linden.
Now comes this bomb scare at Bishops’ that had all the students disgorged into Carmichael Street – worrying whether they’ll have to be relocated to some distant building like their Christ Church colleagues. We know there are elements in the Opposition fringes who’re openly agitating for more “radical” action against the “emerging apartheid state” Government.
But Jeez!! Is terrorizing impressionable young minds the way to accomplish that?? Savages!!
…from colonialism
One of the last vestiges of British colonialism has been the retention by some of their former colonies of the British Monarch as their Head of State. “Little England” Barbados cut that tie last year, and Jamaica soon will!
