This week on What the People Say we asked members of the public to comment on this year’s budget. Here are their responses:
Zaimoon Ramjohn, fish vendor,
‘I don’t know what is going on with the budget but I know what is going on in my home. I am a widow and I’m taking care of three grandchildren after their mother went away and leave them. I am finding it very hard to send them to school. I cannot even afford to buy school clothes or anything for them as yet. Times are hard; I used to cook two times a day, now I’m only cooking one time. Everything is so expensive. I would be happy if the prices for everything can drop so the cost of living can go down. I work very hard and by the time I finish paying bills and buy grocery I don’t know where the money gone.’
Abdool Azim, pensioner,
‘From what I have been hearing about the budget so far it looks like the government would make the 100-day promise. But I didn’t hear anything from them about the rice sector. I was looking forward to an increase in the rice price. I am from Essequibo and I gave my sons my rice land to plant. The government had promised to get the pastures going again. Cattle farmers do not have proper places for their cows and when the animals are impounded, the farmers have to pay $10,000 per head to get them released and an extra $200 for every night. I think it was a good move by the government to drop the fuel price.’
Mohamed Yusuf, pensioner/ taxi driver,
‘I don’t think that the $3,000 increase on the old age pension is good because on the campaign trail they had promised to double it. I drive taxi to make ends meet. The government took away the subsidy on the light bill and we now have to pay the full amount. Then for the past eight years I never get a water bill and I got one the other day for $34,000. They promised to drop the VAT to eight or 12 percent but it didn’t happen yet. They promised 20% to public servants but they give 5% and they said they would give the cane-cutters 10% but we didn’t hear about that as yet. Another thing is they said the rice farmers would get $9,000 but so far the farmers didn’t get that and they have to search for their own markets. The government took away the $10,000 that the students were getting and then give $500 more on the voucher. Parents are finding it hard and that money helped them a lot last year. They announced that the fuel price dropped but the gas stations are not dropping the price.’
Yung Kam, cell phone technician,
‘Although the budget seems good, we won’t be able to see any benefits as yet. We just have to sit back and see what would be the income from the global market. Business is slow right now, there is no spending power; there is a shortage of the circulation of money. I would say give it another three months to see if prices would be reduced and shopping would improve. Everyone is looking for a lower cost of living. I believe people are waiting for the Christmas season to start spending. Nobody wants a boring Christmas; everybody must celebrate.’
Casper Trotman, cell phone technician,
‘For now I like how things are going with the budget. I have to follow it some more though. So far it seems as though it would benefit the poorer class, especially with the increase for public servants. The main thing I would like for this country is for cost of living to go down. Right now everything is so expensive, even the greens. It’s tough, especially for single mothers and those children who only have their grandparents to depend on.’
Tashiema Samaroo, fish vendor,
‘I didn’t get to follow the budget because I’m out working. But from what I’m seeing, business is not really doing in the market. Most days I used to sell out and go home by 9 or 10’o clock. Now I’m going home at 4 pm because people are not shopping; they are telling you plain, times hard and they can’t afford. I have three children and I’m finding it very hard. My husband catches the fish and I sell them. Now is school season and I haven’t started shopping as yet. We would rely on the voucher but I didn’t see anything showing. With the budget, I’m hoping that all food items would be dropped to a minimum rate so the poor Guyanese could afford. It would be better for all of us. Right now prices for everything are going up.’
Robert Williams, carpenter,
‘I think the budget was good because it reach to every Guyanese; no discrimination. What we have to do now is to live up and support the new government for a new investment. The opposition members have to get a grip of themselves and come together for a brighter future for Guyana. It’s 49 years and it’s a new victory for Guyana and it would take time [to develop] because they may have systems to put in place. We have to deal with our border issues together and let us have a peaceful Guyana. What I would like to see in the budget is for our rice market and export income to be shown on a database or quarterly. We don’t want anything to hide from the Guyanese people; we must know what is going on in our country.’
Kaluka Wall, carpenter,
‘To me the budget doesn’t look good and I’m not satisfied with what I’m hearing. I don’t think it would benefit the poor people. I was hoping for the best but we’re not seeing the best coming. Times are hard and with my trade, I am hardly getting work. I have a family to take care of and I came out looking for work. I also do upholstery but even that work is hard to get. To me everything cease up.’
Kevin Redman, greens vendor,
‘The budget has good things for the pensioners and the public servants; it is a wonderful budget for those two. It doesn’t have anything for me as a flat-foot hustler but if they earn more, then they would shop more and we would know how good we would be. It is a wonderful budget; it is one of the best I’ve seen so far that caters for the people. I’m hoping to see the youth empowerment be activated because we need more youth empowerment. As soon as that is activated we would be better off and we have a government that is capable of putting that in place. From what we have seen in this short period I think there is more to come and I’m thankful for that.’
Avril Miller, pensioner,
‘I don’t know what is going on with the budget; they [parliamentarians] are in parliament ridiculing each other before they come together and make this country better. We want to see what they can do to benefit the poor people. I heard that they would take away the subsidy for the water and light bills from pensioners. But then a friend told me that they won’t stop it from those who were already benefitting. She said it is on hold for those who would now start to collect pension. All of that has me worried because I voted for change and I’m not seeing the change I expected. What’s the sense of giving the pensioners the $4,000 and take away what we were benefitting from. They come and meet us with that. They said they dropped certain prices in the shop like carrots and mayonnaise but not everybody can afford to buy those things. I want to see betterment and for them to remove the VAT.’
Abrams, pensioner,
‘To me the budget is very good. There is something for everybody; from the old and the young, everybody would benefit. The thing is everything that they planned cannot happen overnight because these people just go in and we have to wait until next year and then we can see the progress. They just go in there and you can’t expect them to do miracle but at least they are trying. I don’t think the opposition has the country’s interest at heart because it doesn’t seem like they are willing to work with the government. As far as I am concerned, lock up all of them who they find stealing. I am satisfied that they give an increase to pensioners.’
