Member of Parliament for the WIN party, Dawn Hastings-Williams, took the Government to task in her Budget debate contribution over its big spending, telling the National Assembly that although billions continue to be spent on various initiatives and projects, there has been no dramatic shift in the lives of Guyanese for the better.
MP Hastings-Williams said as the Government rolls out its Development Agenda for the year, a careful examination of the Budget shows an absence of measures to reduce poverty, which she observed has been rising, despite the big Government spending.
“Mr. Speaker, I submit from the outset that the figures of 1.58 trillion dollars means nothing to the ordinary Guyanese who are living under abject poverty. What matters is not that it is the largest budget ever but rather what matters are the deliverables. In fact, what matters is values for the money spent,” Hastings-Williams noted.
She said in the Hinterland region, there is still a high level of poverty. The Opposition MP said she believes that if the Government carefully considers and consults properly with people in those communities, and the Opposition parties, more can be achieved to better the lives of those citizens.
“What we observed however, is more monies being poured into usual projects like public infrastructure, whether it be building a road, new secondary schools or state of the art regional hospitals, but Mr. Speaker, it is time the government sit to review and analyze of the performance of the contractors executing these contracts that are being awarded to family, friends, and favorites,” Hastings Williams noted.
She also raised a red flag on the Government’s infrastructure push, saying that too many of the works are being done in a haphazard manner.
“Mr. Speaker, we all have experience and knowledge that when projects are not completed on time it is costly and the beneficiaries are delayed the essential and necessary services. This Mr. Speaker, brings me to highlight the terrible state of roads through the length and breathe of this country. Roads that lead to farms, roads that lead to our gold mines and lodging concessions, the main roads in Bartica and right here in Georgetown are laced and decorated with many potholes,” the Opposition MP noted.
MP Hastings-Williams added that Hinterland schools, roads and especially airstrips remain a problem. She called on the Government to be serious with its plans and programmes and work to better address the needs of citizens.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login