With much of the ongoing Budget Debate centered around the rise in the cost of living and whether the Government is putting sufficient measures in place to assist citizens, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. has indicated that citizens are much better off under the current government than they were under the previous one.
Ramson told the National Assembly on Tuesday that Guyanese at home are doing so much better that many of them are now sending money to their families overseas.
“Guyanese are traveling in and out of the country like never before. Guyanese are now sending their families overseas, money. They are sending their families overseas, money with the exception of maybe the Leader of the Opposition”, Ramson said, as he made reference to a complaint by the Opposition Leader last year not being able to receive a money transfer from a supporter abroad.
A World Bank report on remittances found that more money was being sent to Guyana in 2023 than any other recent year. The report stated that more than US$545 Million was estimated as being remitted to Guyana in 2023.
But continuing with his debate and defence of the budget measures, Minister Ramson accused the Opposition of being involved in “voodoo” economics, as he explained that despite the Opposition’s arguments and complaints, ordinary Guyanese are doing much better economically.
To bolster his position, the Culture Minister said “there are now 10,000 cars being registered every five months in this country. Every five months, a new car is being registered by the ordinary man. Tens of thousands of homes in this country are either being built or renovated, again by the ordinary man, and interest rates are the lowest that they have ever been in this country and are now comparable to the United States of America, Canada, the UK and the developed world”.
He said the Opposition will always argue against budget spendings, noting that the policies of the current Government are sound.
There continues to be widespread calls from citizens for the Government to do much more to address the issues related to the rise in the cost of living over the past few years. The Opposition has argued that the budget is heavy on spending to support the rich, while ordinary citizens are largely ignored.
The $1.146 Trillion budget is the largest one to ever be presented in Guyana. The budget is expected to be financed heavily through loans and earnings from the oil and gas sector.
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