Disappointed with Tabitha Sarabo-Halley’s presentation
DEAR EDITOR,
After observing the second day’s debate on a budget, it is unfortunate that I have to write this letter in an attempt to share my thoughts on some of the annoying comments, which I heard from Tabitha Sarabo-Halley during her presentation.
First, it should be noted that the very “rancid rhetoric” to which she referred in the introductory part of her speech does not even concern the PPP / C government but rather the APNU + AFC Coalition. It is the opposition that continues every day to waste time on making racist statements that offer no context for their forthcoming speeches on the budget and policies within it.
It is a bit sad in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that should be one of the main focuses of all Government officials, for Sarabo-Halley to come to parliament, UNPREPARED, and deliver a speech riddled with inaccuracies. He noted that the PPP has no plans at all but to wait for the COVID-19 vaccine for its citizens. He went even further to say that the budget does not even provide for these vaccines. The fact that she said this even brings me to ask, did she even read the budget? If so, did she ignore Paragraph 4.113, which states that $ 750 million has been allocated to support the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines?
Tabitha Sarbo-Halley also mentioned in her speech that Guyanese continue to witness the abolition of public service and public agencies. My question to this is HOW? In case she was reminded, the APNU + AFC compromised the whole public service framework when they took office in 2015. For example, the establishment of Bertram Collins College of Public Service had little purpose but affected the Public Service framework. College graduates were placed in public agencies as Clerk of Accounts III. They received higher salaries than those of the Clerk of Accounts IIs. However, when they joined these agencies, they could not perform as expected. It is a fact that these Clerk III must be trained by the exact Clerk II under them. As that is the reality, I ask the question what was the purpose of the training college if it could not even train these students properly so that they can function effectively as they enter public service. This is a clear example of a visionless approach by the APNU + AFC, which endangered the Public Service and public agencies.
I end by saying that Tabitha Sarabo-Halley’s speech on Wednesday was annoying to listen to as a right-minded Guyanese. It goes unnoticed that the APNU + AFC Coalition continues to approach this budget as a political gimmick and something to pass simply because it was not their mind. This shows that they are not focusing on the well-being of all Guyanese but rather on painting the budget in a negative light as much as they can. Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech was such a clear signal.
Truly,
Attiya Baksh