Stabroek News
June 17, 2001

Opposition politicians and business leaders to whom Stabroek News spoke yesterday were mostly reserving their judgement on the budget presented by Minister Saisnarine Kowlessar on Friday, while the few that did comment regarded it as lacking initiative.

Leader of ROAR, Ravi Devi, said that he was not prepared at this stage to comment on the details of the budget presented by Minister of Finance Saisnarine Kowlessar on Friday, but described it as one that lacked initiative and lustre.

With the economy being very flat at the moment he said that anyone would have expected the Government to boost it up by taking some good initiatives.

Instead, he noted, "we are simply accepting the forces that are acting upon us."

Referring to a specific instance, he recalled that at the launching of the Study of Suicide in Guyana about a month ago the Minister of Health had promised to take certain immediate actions to deal with this problem. However, he noted that there was no mention of such actions being taken in the budget and this, according to him, was an anamolous signal.

Parliamentary representative of the GAP/WPA Sheila Holder called it a holding budget which held no new direction or focus. "It did not describe any vision for the economy to say where we are going. The same old things are being said again."

She pointed out that there was nothing in the budget to encourage one to believe that Guyanese could look forward to a change in the economy.

She had expected to see more details on how the Government intended to tackle diversification, investment and the tax system. With respect to the tax system, she said that she would have liked to hear how the Government proposed to expand the tax net and to bring in the recalcitrant tax payers.

In addition, she felt that the Government still needed to address the political situation which was pivotal to everything else. Taken from this perspective she said that all statistics had become irrelevant in a way. Unless the Government was serious about equal opportunities she expected more acrimony, protests and dissatisfaction among the people to continue.

Leader of the PNC Reform Hugh Desmond Hoyte indicated through his Secretary that he was not in a position at this time to make any comments on the budget.

Likewise, the leader of the Reform component, Stan-ley Ming, said that he was also not prepared to offer any comments at this time since he had not yet had a chance to study the budget.

The PNC Reform walked out of parliament on Friday when the budget was to be presented in protest at the appointment of Dood-nauth Singh as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.

Efforts to contact the TUF for comment on this year's budget proved unsuccessful.

Demerara Distillers Limit-ed Chairman Yesu Persaud and President of the Guyana Manufacturers' Association Norman McLean told Stabroek News that they needed more time to look at the budget before venturing their comments.

Executive Secretary of the Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association Edward Shields, while stating he could not speak on behalf of the association until the executive met, said an initial glance would show there was nothing in the budget for the gold mining industry.

Shields observed that Minister Kowlessar had spoken about a 4.9 per cent projected increase in gold production to reach 498,196 ounces.

He pointed out this would have to be coming from Omai Gold Mines Ltd because the Guyana Gold Board and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission had projected a 17 per cent reduction in local production for this year.

Shields was appreciative of the announcement that funds had been budgeted for rehabilitation of the Bartica-Issano road and for the establishment of medical centres and schools in some mining areas such as Mahdia.

Of note, Shields said, was the fact that one of the changes miners had been pushing for-the restructuring of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission to manage the industry more efficiently had not been accomplished as yet.

Given that no new concessions had been offered to the mining industry, Shields said: "We take it this would mean all the incentives in place being enjoyed by the industry will remain intact."

Efforts to contact TUF, and other business and union leaders proved unsuccessful.