Budget… postmortem

Well, today we’ll have the wrap-up of the Budget Debate so maybe we can take a look at how the Opposition’s been doing with that part of their responsibility – and use it to situate it within their larger role as an opposition. Oppositions, after all, are an integral part of parliamentary governance structure – and should be taking their role as a “government in waiting” very seriously. And this is the first disappointment of your Eyewitness. As the PPP showed – governments have a plan for their country that usually comes from the manifesto that got them elected in ghe first place – and their Budget is a slice of that plan for the next year.
Where was the Opposition’s plan for Guyana?? Didn’t they have a manifesto?? OK…so maybe it was part of the reason they didn’t get elected!! But haven’t they been tweaking it since their fingers were pried from the spread and bedsheets used to tryigging the elections?? All your Eyewitness heard during the debate was a cover of that old song from showbiz – “Anything you can do; I can do it better”!! Like with the PPP making income up to $130,000 tax free; the Opposition then saying if they get in, they’ll raise it to $400,000!! Or that they would give Public Servants raises waay beyond the 10% promised by the government!! What this exposes is just lazy cogging from what the PPP has on the table and are just promising more!! The folks out there in voters-land aren’t that gullible or stupid to fall for that ruse!!
First of all, if they’re to ever get back into government – barring staging another frontal Buxton-based attack on the state –the Opposition gotta start over from first principles. It ain’t gonna be easy since they already got two strikes against them with that bare-faced rigging attempt that makes it difficult for people to take them seriously. Your Eyewitness has some suggestions for them – since he has a vested interest in our dear ole Mudland proceeding in peace and progress1
They can do worse than making their aims and priorities for the entire country very clear. As it is, they ain’t doing themselves a favour by only whining about one section of the country being “neglected”. They seem to forget that the said section can’t vote them in on their own!! And that leads to the second bit of advice – which, is to use the opportunity to engage folks outside their traditional base and widen their reach.
Thirdly, they can’t be all over the place just reacting to the PPP’s initiatives – there must be some coherence in their policy statements. This will show they’ll make a difference to coherence in government!!
And lastly, apologise for rigging!!

…for contractors
It’s been famously said – supposedly by Napoleon – that England was “a nation of shopkeepers”. And at that time – the late 18th century – it was certainly true that England’s greatness was built on trade on commerce!! Not least on the exploitation of India by the East India Company that eventually was to extract some US$45 trillion!! And even if it was a snide remark that belittled England’s war prowess, the shopkeepers did defeat him a bit later in the Battle of Waterloo!!
Well, it would seem that we here in Mudland are fast becoming a “nation of contractors” – what with Public Infrastructure Minister Edgehill responding – en passant- that there were 505 contractors building roads in Linden, 42 in Ituni, and more than 100 in New Amsterdam!! And tht’s just looking at road building!! So imagine what the numbers would be if we were to go nationwide in all the areas of governmental exertions!!
Maybe our nation of contractors will be able to defeat Mad Maduro’s military??

…blues
If it’s one set of Guyanese who’ll miss the Budget Process will be those reporters who’ve been following it over the last week. Makes it easy when you just have to feed the speeches into ChatGPT and ask for summaries!!