WPA wanted broad consultations ahead of 2025 National Budget

WPA wanted broad consultations ahead of 2025 National Budget

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) today questioned whether the upcoming national budget will focus on the needs of Guyanese, or will be a budget that is focused on keeping the People’s Progressive Party in office.

WPA Executive member and co-leader, Dr. David Hinds, said the lack of broad-based consultations ahead of the budget shows that the Government is not really interested in providing to the needs of the people.

“The lack of broad-based consultation and input into the preparation of the budget. According to Vice President Jagdeo the government held consultations with communities. WPA asks when were these consultations held and with which communities? Were these consultations publicly announced? Which government agency or agencies facilitated these consultations? Were the parliamentary opposition parties consulted? Were Civil society organizations, in particular trade unions consulted?” Dr. Hinds said.

Dr. Hinds noted that budgets by their nature are meant to incorporate the country’s needs and priorities and reflect its broad economic philosophy and vision. He said given the nature of the Guyanese society and the fact that the Government enjoys a razor-thin majority, it becomes even more imperative that this approach be followed.

“We do not wish to pass judgement on a budget which we have not read or study, but there are areas which we intend to pay close attention to. WPA has noted the government’s emphasis on infrastructural spending on previous budgets. While we welcome spending in this area, we feel the government has overdone it. There needs to be a more balanced spending approach which reflects multiple priorities and an integrated outlook for the econonomy,” the WPA leader stated.

Dr. Hinds said the Government should focus on reducing spending on infrastructure and spread across the resources equally among critical sectors.

He said one of the main priorities of the budget should be poverty alleviation.

“We have had cause after each budget to bemoan the government’s haphazard and lackadaisical approach to this issue. If our country is to become fully developed, it must first remove the systemic obstacles to development. Poverty is one such obstacle. The government’s belief that poverty can be reduced though unstructured cash grants and open clientelism would plunge the country deeper into the pit of persistent poverty,” Dr. Hinds noted.

Further, the WPA said it will be paying close attention as to how the Government addresses the question of wages and salaries, saying that the party supports a minimum wage of no less than $200,000.

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