Jordan defends pro-people budget

Finance Winston Jordan during his presentation on the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015 in the National Assembly on Thursday. (Keno George photo)
Finance Winston Jordan during his presentation on the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015 in the National Assembly on Thursday. (Keno George photo)

Rejecting former president Bharrat Jagdeo’s criticisms of the proposed 2015 budget as nonsensical, Finance Minister Winston Jordan early this morning told the National Assembly that the public’s reaction has been positive and encouraging.

Jordan’s presentation, which ended around 1:30am, brought the curtains down on the budget debate, although the opposition parliamentarians had walked out hours before at the conclusion of Jagdeo’s address.

Both sides of the House will use the remainder of the weekend to prepare for three full days of the consideration of the estimates beginning on Monday.

Winston Jordan
Winston Jordan

After more than 12 hours of debate, many of the government MPs were clearly tired by the time Jordan rose to speak. The few who managed to remain awake chuckled, shouted supportive comments and rapped their desks as he responded to the many criticisms made of the budget, which he described as being for everyone.

Jordan said a budget should match the priorities of a nation, particularly development, in an “orderly and sustainable” manner.

“We, the APNU+AFC government, have taken the bold step in that direction. We have laid out a plan for the first of our many terms in government,” he declared.

He said based on the word on the street, all were impressed “not only by the length and lucidity of the delivery but for the audacity of hope it presented for the vision of a good life for all Guyanese.”

With a smile, he said he expected Jagdeo to come with the jabs that he did and he was prepared. He said that the opposition leader seems to be the only person who has found this year’s budget to be “underwhelming.”

“It must be underwhelming too for …it was under his stewardship as president of this nation that over 400 of our citizens were murdered, [and there was] the rise in crime of all kinds. Guyana became a narco-state. Human trafficking, piracy, corruption, nepotism and lack of accountability,” he said.

Jordan also spoke of how between 1992 and 2015 the then PPP/C government practiced discrimination and nepotism in its placement of persons in international institutions. Among the names he mentioned were Asgar Ally, Zulficar Ally and Ganga Ramdass.

He said he did not call names to denigrate these persons but rather to expose the mindset of the former government.

“The electorate gave us a mandate to clean up the mess and give our country a fresh start, a chance to breathe,” he added.

 

‘Be afraid’

Jordan also put the PPP/C on notice that it should be fearful of the many audits ongoing into its administration.

“The discoveries have started. Over $600M disappeared between Office of the President and the Public Service Ministry; a manager and board member paying themselves millions of taxpayers’ money; another manager of the same debt-ridden agency that normally requires a huge transfusion of cash every year earning $6M a month; free gas to acolytes and fellow travellers of the PPP; and so the discoveries continue. I say to members of the opposite side, be afraid of these audits and be very afraid. The forensic audits are here to say,” he said.

Responding to earlier statements by opposition front bencher Clement Rohee, who suggested that the many audits, investigations, probes, inquiries and reviews being done could lead to the country suffering collateral damage, Jordan told the House that these things are necessary so that government can be aware of what it inherited, what has been hidden, where and in whose pockets or bank accounts.

Jordan said he agreed with Rohee when he said that people are looking for a simple life. He was quick to point out that citizens were not looking for “an ocean front mansion that is powered by three public transformers, while the very energy provider cannot provide electricity to thousands of Guyanese. Not an ocean front mansion that enjoys free potable water, while many Guyanese have to contend with no water.” His comments were an indirect reference to Jagdeo.

Noting that the new government was not an irresponsible one, Jordan said that it will continue the implementation of “sagacious projects and programmes” started under the previous administration. He said taxpayers’ monies have already been pumped into them and informed that projects that are consistent with the government’s vision will be pursued. If needs be, the ill-designed and ill-conceived projects will be reviewed, he added. According to Jordan the budget is pro-business and pro-poor, and he stressed that it has something inside for everyone and he cited reduced fuel prices, a reduction of the Berbice Bridge toll and the removal of VAT on some food items.

Pointing out that government might have been remiss in not engaging the public service union in collective bargaining, he added that in less than three months government provided the largest increase, at some 26.4%, to public servants. He assured government’s commitment in ensuring that public servants are returned to their rightful place of prominence in the public sector through the establishment of the Public Service Staff College.

Jordan announced during his presentation that a tax review committee, whose members will conduct a comprehensive study of the tax system, has been formed. The members are economist Dr. Maurice Odle, UG lecturer Dr. Thomas Singh, accountant Christopher Ram and Godfrey Statia, the former deputy commissioner of Inland Revenue and former Deputy CEO of GT&T. The team will work for four months to produce an interim report which will look at the tax system and tax administration, Jordan informed.

“When we analyse these measures and their effects, it can be concluded that we have put more money into the pockets of the ordinary man and woman,” he said, while adding that with this budget the country was on the road to a good life.