Georgetown : Notice Paper No. 49 submitted by Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan on Amendments to be moved in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly to the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2012 which was circulated in the National Assembly last night proposes more than 50% reductions in the sums allocated to the Ministries of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Housing and Water and Culture Youth and Sport.
The two subject Ministers along with the Minister of the Public Service Dr. Jennifer Westforddenounced the proposals submitted by the Opposition Parliamentary Party.
According to the Ministers, this would result in hundreds of workers being sent home should the financial allocations to the three Ministries be reduced to the amounts suggested by the AFC.
Minister of Housing and Water and Acting Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce
Irfaan Ali stated that Mr. Ramjattan is proposing that more than 50% of contracted staff of the Ministry of Tourism will be out of a job if the proposal is carried tomorrow.
Minister Ali pointed to the fact the AFC had suggested that more money should have been allocated for Tourism Development, but now in a contradictory decision, they are saying that this allocation should be cut by almost 49%.
On the issue of industrial development, he noted that the proposal to cut this allocation by 50%, would limit the expansion of the manufacturing sector by more than 63%.
The AFC is also suggesting that the security allocation of the Ministry of Housing and Water be cut by more than 50%, which will definitely expose government’s assets and buildings. More than 50% of contracted employees of the Ministry will be out of a job if the allocation for this section is cut.
Minister Ali also pointed to infrastructure development and buildings under the Ministry which has a proposed cut of $1B. This means that 67% of the plans to advance the housing programme will either not succeed in 2012 or come to an immediate halt.
The AFC has focused extensively on the improvement of water supply in the coastland and hinterland areas, but now come with a proposed cut to the allocations for these two areas by more than 50%.
The rehabilitation of the sewer system in Georgetown is a foreign funded project and has no budgetary implications. The proposal is to cut out $150M which will see the slowing down of the project.
Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport slammed the move by the AFC to butcher the Ministry’s budget, if carried would effectively kill the Ministry.
The opposition party has indicated that they would propose no allocation of funds for the National Sports Commission which would see all 45 employees of that entity without jobs.
“What manner of madness is this?” asked the Minister.
He pointed out that zero allocation to the Commission would see the shut down of the National Aquatic Centre, National Gymnasium, National Sports Hall, Lawn Tennis Centre and the Squash Courts, since the persons running these centres are all employees of the National Sports Commission.
Additionally, Minister Anthony stated that all coaches will also be unemployed, thus showing the true colours of the AFC which always claimed that they were champions of sports.
“This is real irresponsibility on the part of a political party. They are using the tyranny of one seat to vote down a budget for young people of this country,” Dr. Anthony declared.
He noted that the development of the synthetic track at Leonora will have to be shelved since the reduced allocation will not be enough to complete the facility.
The reduction of expenditure for employees of the culture sector would see the shut down of the sector. It would see shut down of the Burrowes School of Art, the National Dance School and the newly established Music School among other entities.
Dr. Anthony stated that the call by the AFC for the administration to do more for youth in Guyana was answered in the National Budget but, he could not understand the move by the party to propose cuts for the allocated programmes.
Minister of Public Service Dr. Jennifer Westford stated that the AFC has targeted the vulnerable people of Guyana with the proposed cuts. She added that the move was hitting at youths. She expressed hope that better sense would prevail within the AFC, and questioned whether the opposition party had consulted with any of the Trade Unions on the issue.
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