A former Government Minister has claimed that there is sufficient evidence of intellectual impotence on the part of the Government to implement policies that will benefit Guyanese from all walks of life.
Former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Jenifer Westford believes that the Government is lost and cannot steer Guyana on the path of economic growth and development.
She was speaking against the backdrop of Budget 2018 and what she described as ineffective policies, during the debate which commenced on Monday in the National Assembly.
“The national ship is rudderless and it is without a captain who knows how to steer the ship out of the stormy weather conditions. He knows how to fly to many countries, but he cannot steer the ship. The ship of State is lost at sea because the captain and the sailors are also lost,” she posited.
Westford said if one were to look at the contributions being made by MPs on the Government side of the House, one would come to realise that there is dearth, no statement of policy and no direction.
“It’s only a repetition and rehash of what was there in the last year’s budget,” she added.
The MP argued that it was a fact that confidence was a variable that was challenging to measure, but noted that they should at least by now understand that it was incumbent on the Government to create an environment in which confidence was optimal – it was not a favour, but a duty.
“It follows, therefore, that confidence is also tied to the Government, not only as a result of its fiscal policies, but also as a result of the execution of its overall governance of the country,” she asserted.
But she did not stop there. Dr Westford went on to state that the general view was that Government would never be able to raise the necessary level of confidence required to propel the economy and the country as a whole. This, she believes, is as a result of its stubbornness to deny its campaign promises.
Although congratulating Finance Minister Winston Jordan and his team for facilitating the presentation of the fourth budget to the House, the Opposition MP said the promise of “restoring hope and inspiring confidence” was far from becoming a reality because the lives of many Guyanese have been affected.
She claimed, “The working poor have become poorer and the middle class is becoming poorer, because they are being placed under severe pressure. The only people living the good life, Mr Speaker, are the Hon Members on the other side of this House (Government).”
In fact, the former Public Service Minister told the House that the real middle class were the ones who were subject to the higher prices. She said they were the ones who were subject to the higher interest rate on mortgages and they were the ones whose disposable incomes were being depleted on a daily basis.
Really ‘deh bad’
Further, the Opposition MP argued that the coalition Government did not have the moral fortitude to engender the level of confidence that was necessary to move the economy and the country forward.
“They are steadfastly and myopically concerned with their ship of partners. Yes, Mr Speaker, they are concerned only with the APNU/AFC partnership. As we say in Guyanese parlance, the economy really ‘deh bad’. But as is usual with this Government, the Finance Minister tried to blame the previous Administration by suggesting that failing investments from years ago was now causing growth reduction.”
Westford also stated that the Government took no ownership of its ills. “If they could get away with it, they would blame the PPP/C for their legacy of missteps, misprints, mistakes, mishandling, miseries of all kinds, misconduct and their constipation. But, Mr Speaker, we will never allow the Government smoke and mirrors response to issues to go unchecked,” she further added.
Although Government had promised to move speedily to enact comprehensive procurement legislation and even though the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) was installed, hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts have been hurriedly and improperly awarded in the State enterprise sector under ministerial instructions using the pretence of some non-existent competitive processes.
Shifting her attention to crime and security, the Opposition MP said this area held major challenges for the entire nation. She said Guyanese have noted the bold assertion that since the coalition Government assumed office, there was a decline in reported serious crimes by about 23 per cent. They also spoke of plans to further reduce this figure in 2018, but failed to say that many Guyanese continued to live in fear.
“This, according to the Minister (Khemraj Ramjattan), is to be achieved by an administration of strong law enforcement, social intervention and strengthening of the criminal justice system. Just as the concept of confidence is a critical factor in the promotion of business or economic activity and to grow the economy, confidence in the administration of justice, particularly criminal justice, is equally critical.”
The former Minister believes that confidence in the criminal justice system and law enforcement is at its lowest as a result of the current Government. However, she said her Party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), will continue to monitor the Government very closely to ensure that it promoted protection and safety for citizens under an independent judiciary and Commissioner of Police.
