Georgetown: President Donald Ramotar says his Government will explore all legal options available to deal with what he has termed “unconstitutional” reductions of the 2014 Budget by a whopping $37.4B, the largest cut in the last three years of “callous and vindictive” budget cuts made by the combined Opposition, APNU and AFC, during his term in office.
The Guyanese Head of State, during a televised program recently said, “We are examining the issue, looking at the legality and the constitutionality of the cuts and we are examining all the avenues to deal with this and stymie the plans of the Opposition to retard our development.”
In January, this year, Acting Chief Justice Mr Ian Chang ruled that the National Assembly has no right to cut the national budget. The Chief Justice handed down his decision in the High Court on January 29. In the Preliminary Ruling given in June 2012, the CJ had ruled that the National Assembly had a role to either approve or disapprove of the National Estimate, not to cut them.
However, a Notice of Appeal of Chang’s decision was since filed in February by lawyer and Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, on behalf of Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Raphael Trotman, who was listed as the appellant in the court.
DISAPPOINTED
President Ramotar expressed his disappointment over the Parliamentary vote by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the AFC.
“Clearly the intention here was to hinder Guyana’s progress…this is a huge cut of funds that would have allowed the economy to advance,” he said.
The President, prior to the commencement of the detailed review of the 2014 allocations by the Parliamentary Committee of Supply, had expressed optimism that there will be no major amendments to the national Budget, particularly since Government Members of Parliament (MPs) were ready and available to give “exhaustive” answers to questions from the combined Opposition.
He pointed out that in the questioning by the Opposition MPs, exhaustive questions were asked and Government MPs gave exhaustive answers – as has been the case throughout the commencement of the 10th Parliament, with no question asked being left unanswered.
“I laboured under the impression that the Opposition has the interest of the people at heart…the cuts we have seen affects the economy and the social wellbeing of our people,” President Ramotar said.
“I did not expect any responsible Opposition, which wants to present itself as an alternative Government, to act so callously in attacking the Budget,” he declared.
The President was firm in his contention that there is no justification for the “brutal assault” on several key developmental allocations in the budget, all aimed at providing significant benefits to the Guyanese people. And he bluntly declared that the budget cuts by APNU and AFC were “politically motivated” and “vindictive”.
“What other excuse is there?” he questioned. “It is completely politically motivated.”
President Ramotar also questioned what possible benefits the Opposition could have realized with such a negative position on the 2014 allocations in the budget.
“This is money that the people depend on…it is a total lack of responsibility,” the President declared.
According to the Guyanese Head of State, the Opposition is ‘shooting itself in the foot’ if it is of the view that derailing progress under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration will improve their fortunes with the electorate.
“It is purely vindictiveness in moving to hamstrung the work of the Government…their intent is plainly and simply to retard social and economic development in Guyana. Looking good (to the electorate) is part of it for sure,” Mr Ramotar posited.
He expressed confidence in the Guyanese people being able to see, recognize and comprehend the Opposition’s sinister plot in terms of what it is trying to do and achieve.
The President, however, has not closed any door as, according to him, meetings with the Opposition parties will have to be scheduled to address the way forward.
“We will continue to push for development, but the work would have been better done and easier if we had a consensus from the Parliament on the important allocations in the 2014 Budget.”
President Ramotar also decried what he termed as an obvious pattern of “opposing for the sake of opposing alone”.
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