Blaming a culture of incompetence and mismanagement for the loss for the six million euros for the sugar industry, the People National Congress Reform on Friday called for firm action to be taken against the individuals and organisations responsible for the budgetary loss.
The party condemned the loss and charged that those who were responsible should be sanctioned by the administration and say how the more than €6M in funding from the European Union (EU), which was intended for improving the sugar sector and the diversification of the economy, would be replaced.
The party, in a statement at its weekly press briefing said the loss of the substantial funds was almost criminal in view of the reality of the precarious financial situation facing the country. It said too that there was urgent need for the diversification of the economy to generate economic growth and the creation of jobs and incomes.
“Ultimately the spectacle of a sovereign government being unable to submit documentation, in a timely fashion, in order to access funding from a major institution such as the EU is not only alarming but suggests that the government itself has become dysfunctional,” the party stated.
The PNCR called on the administration to speak out on the matter saying that the issue was too important to be swept under the carpet. It noted that, “no amount of propaganda spin, however skilled, can conceal this disaster.”
The party called on the government to return to the practice whereby the normal functions of government were performed by the responsible institutions which were allowed to deal with these matters “without the unnecessary and disruptive intrusion of the head of state.”
It added that the loss was perhaps an indication of the reality of micro-management patently subverting the national interest.
Meanwhile, the party also registered its concern about the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) saying that the country was likely to lose $12M in budgetary support due to incompetence.
“As usual, the Jagdeo administration has given one of its twisted and least credible explanations for its incompetence,” the party stated
It noted that it was totally unaware of any PRSP being submitted to the National Assembly for its consideration, as previously stated by Dr Roger Luncheon, saying it was “a figment of his imagination.”
Dr Roger Luncheon earlier said that the PRSP had been approved by the Cabinet but parliamentary consideration had not been concluded.
