Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech shows APNU/AFC not focused on wellbeing of Guyanese

Dear Editor,
After observing the second day’s budget debate, it is unfortunate that I have to write this letter in an attempt to share my thoughts on some of the disturbing comments I heard from Tabitha Sarabo-Halley during her presentation.
Firstly, it should be noted that the very “rancid rhetoric” which she was referring to in the introductory part of her speech does not even concern the PPP/C Government, but rather the APNU+AFC Coalition. It is the Opposition that continues every single day to waste time on making racist statements which offer absolutely no context to its speeches, which are supposed to be on the budget and the policies therein.
It is rather unfortunate that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which should be one of the main areas of focus of every single Government official, Sarabo-Halley came to Parliament UNPREPARED, and delivered a speech riddled with inaccuracies.
She noted that the PPP has absolutely no plan, but to wait for a COVID-19 vaccine for its citizens. She even said the budget does not even cater for these vaccines. The fact that she said this brings me to ask: Did she even read the budget? If so, did she overlook Paragraph 4.113, which states that $750 million has been allocated to support the rolling out of COVID-19 vaccines?
Additionally, Tabitha Sarbo-Halley mentioned in her speech that Guyanese continue to witness the annihilation of the Public Service and public agencies. My question to this is: HOW? In case she is to be reminded, it was the APNU+AFC who compromised the framework of the entire Public Service when they entered office in 2015.
For example, establishment of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service served little to no purpose, but affected the Public Service framework. Graduates of the college were placed in public agencies as Accounts Clerks III. They received higher salaries than those of Accounts Clerks II. However, as they entered these agencies, they simply could not perform as expected. It is a fact that these Clerks III had to be trained by the very Clerks II that are below them. With that being the reality, I ask the question: What was the purpose of the training college, if it could not even train these students properly, so that they could function effectively as they enter the Public Service?
This is a clear example of a visionless approach by the APNU+AFC, which compromised the Public Service and the public agencies.
I end by saying that Tabitha Sarabo-Halley’s speech was disturbing for me to listen to, as a right-minded Guyanese. It does not go unnoticed that the APNU+AFC Coalition continues to approach this budget as a political gimmick and something to bash simply because it was not their brainchild. This shows that they are not focused on the wellbeing of all Guyanese, but rather on painting the budget in a negative light as much as they can.
Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech was a clear indication of such.

Yours truly,
Attiya Baksh