APNU/AFC’s claim of Budget having “nothing” for public servants rubbished

Public servants are Guyanese, and like everyone else, they will benefit equally from the many reliefs in Budget 2020.
This is the view expressed by Government Member of Parliament Dr Jennifer Westford during her contribution to the budget debates, which are currently ongoing in the National Assembly.
Dr Westford, who served as Public Service Minister under the previous PPP/C Administration, in responding to claims by Opposition Members that the 2020 Budget is “private sector-friendly” and did not cater for ordinary workers such as those employed in the Public Service, said: “It make me wonder, sir, are the public servants a new class of aliens that have arrived in this country?”
Dr Westford pointed to the presentation by the current Public Service Minister Sonia Parag, which she said detailed several measures in the budget that are aimed at providing a higher quality of life for all citizens, including those who are employed as public servants.
“The public servants are Guyanese, like every other single Guyanese who will benefit from this Budget, and they will also be benefiting,” Dr Westford asserted. She added: “They are members of our community; they are not a separate kettle of fish. They will benefit from the tax reliefs; they will benefit from training, from scholarships, like every other Guyanese.”
On Wednesday, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo slammed claims by the APNU/AFC Opposition that Budget 2020 was crafted to benefit the Private Sector. He said the budget will provide employment for all Guyanese.
During an interview with the Department of Public Information, the Vice- President described the contributions coming from the Opposition during the Budget 2020 debates as nothing more than “political gaff.”
Jagdeo said Government recognises that while the economy grew in the oil sector, every other sector had plummeted and was in deficit. The sectors that plummeted, he said, were those that generate jobs for Guyanese. This, coupled with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, resulted in more persons losing their jobs.
“So, a key part of the Budget had to be giving stimulus to those areas, to ensure that we resume activities in mining, accommodations, forestry, agriculture and fishery, so more of our people could be employed,” the Vice-President said.
Dr Jagdeo noted that employment is vital to a country’s stability and wellbeing. “Saying this is a Private Sector budget without understanding why you need to stimulate the Private Sector, the sectors of our economy that create jobs, is a bit disingenuous,” he said.
The Vice-President added that measures such as the removal of corporate tax on health and education, the removal of value-added tax (VAT) on medical supplies, the $15,000 cash grant for students, and doubling of the school uniform allowance will put more money in the pockets of Guyanese.
The Budget also includes provisions for an increase in pension, and for free water for pensioners and the removal of VAT on water and electricity.
“Every cent spent…benefits all of our people, regardless of where you live. We have no apology for removing taxes on machinery and equipment. People do not eat machinery and equipment…When you brought in the bulldozer under APNU, you had to pay over $5M in taxes, now it is back to zero,” the Vice- President asserted.
However, he said that while the 2020 Budget is $329.5 billion, a large part of it has already been spent by the Coalition Government.
Meanwhile, during her maiden speech in support of the $329.5B Budget, Minister Sonia Parag had said an increase in salary for public servants is not included in the budget, since a process of collective bargaining must first be conducted before any such increase is announced.
She highlighted that it is an obligation of every Government to take care of its public servants, and the PPP/C will ensure that this obligation is honoured.
“Let us get our facts straight before we come and criticise something that the majority of the Guyanese see as beneficial to them for the next five years,” Minister Parag told Opposition Members.
The Minister had revealed that the Public Service Ministry has a total allocation of $1.8 billion. Of this amount, slightly over $1 billion has been allocated to training and scholarships.