Budget reduced to $182 Billion

Budget reduced to $182 Billion

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the national budget after some disapproval in the estimates by the Opposition parties which used their combined majority to reduce the budget from $220 Billion to $182 Billion.

The Opposition parties slashed the budgets from several government agencies and programmes.

            Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, expressing his disappointment stated that each cut has the potential to harm citizens and called for it to be condemned in the harshest possible way. He was hopeful however, that the wound would heal, positing that it was the people of Guyana who will have to help heal the wound.

            The Minister stated that he was deeply disturbed by what had occurred by the cuts to the allocation for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, Office of the President and other areas. He described the cuts as a display of the opposition’s callousness and irresponsibility at its worse after answering every question asked and sharing every document requested.

            The Minister noted that the opposition’s argument that Guyana should wait for international approval for projects before they approve it in the Assembly, is an absurdity and a plan designed to scuttle the projects.

            “This is part of the opposition’s agenda to stymie development, retard our country, to bring the people of our country to their knees, so as to extract a political opportunity from those circumstances,” the Finance Minister stated.

The Opposition parties have called for the government to be more transparent when it comes to the nation’s money and management. The Opposition also accused the Government of trying to sneak some contentious programmes through by putting them under other government programmes and projects.

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