What budget debate?
Kaieteur News – Guyanese budget viewers should not have been surprised that the 2021 national budget was made and delivered four days early. We are amazed that the budget debate and process, or what passed for them, has lasted so long, since it became extremely apparent that members of the Guyana National Assembly conflict could barely stand each other’s eyes and sound; as a primer, it doesn’t bode well for things to come.
The 2021 budget process and budget discussion embedded, if it can be called that, were forgetful of the ugly barbarism that occurred in the earlier stages, and of which there was little determined way of recovery and improvement. As far as we are concerned, our legislators did not even try to excuse corrective efforts for higher standards, many of which now stand as law breakers. This year’s budget season was not only forgettable, it was also memorable. He was memorable about what should have happened, but didn’t; where issues under review and the conduct of the individual and associated group never arose from the lip of the gutter, or out of the lips of those who call themselves senators without a trace of embarrassment or repentance.
In pooling, serious questions could be raised about the credibility of the process, the quality of the arguments, and the quality and credibility of the honorary members involved. They dishonored themselves, and contaminated all of us with the quality of the end result. The first question we ask the public is this one: did the Guyanese people receive their money’s worth for the trust and confidence they placed in their elected representatives? Here’s a moment: Did Guyanese, regardless of political persuasion, through honest and sustained effort, get full measure from those they voted for, who turned out to be nothing other than broad and the most common class of agents?
In answer to both questions, we say loud and startling: NO!
The times and circumstances and the shocking sums involved, demanded fierce, intense and tireless debate. All of them were scarce on the whole, irrevocably thunderous, never seen bright. Instead, and for the most part, there seemed to be a pro forma display of interest, a flawed manifestation of spirit, in the things and fields that should have matured, which means something to every Guyanese. While citizens were waiting for deep commitments and lively discussions (locking horns) on the material issues, they were treated, and forced to settle for what constituted which side and which member could bow further than the other across the aisle. This was the tasteless absurdity with which the process and debate of Guyana’s national budget was reduced, and with the greatest satisfaction. The 2021 budget process was about this: perspective taken, point proved, issue over; the innocents were few, if any.
In fact, the budget break ended four days early. But that is not a feather in anyone’s cap, something to come up with, or one that the sensible and deep thinker could be proud of. What has been observed, and where any impartial review leads, is that the amount of budget discussions was the torture of going through the motions, keeping up appearances, constantly fixing the clock, and planting the outside the door. . They couldn’t wait to get away from each other, so turning back they had become in each other’s presence.
In some respects, the wretched continued to repeat himself through interruptions and suspensions, walking out and drowning out. This opposition cannot be saved, though there is more than enough madness and blame to cover many members of the house many times. The opposition cannot forget (we do not allow it to do so) that some 217,000 Guyanese citizens voted for it. Its members must remember that in letter and spirit they each have a constitutional, political and personal obligation to step forward and achieve at all times; ingredients of a good governance mandate that it does, which is yet to be done. The PPP did so for 28 years under the harshest of circumstances. And yet here we are, with just over half a year into the new government, and the opposition is a shadow of a shadow. The opposition has a role, the foremost one, to apply unmitigated pressure to bring exposure to the government of the day, through the shortcomings and mysteries of the national budget. This was hardly implemented in periodic drops and hops. It’s called holding government feet to the fire. It must feel the higher and higher temperatures without setting. This, too, was missing in action, with the budget process, with Guyana on the whole worse off.
The efforts of the opposition were so vain and impotent that, when he should have been asking the hard pointed questions and demanding clear answers, he was willing to resort to plays and wit, that there was no possible purpose. He gave the PPP government a number of free tickets, of which we note only a few were not issued. First, what underpinned the increase in funding for the First Lady’s office? Secondly, what is the rationale behind the budget numbers for the Childcare Protection Agency? Third, what about more insights into proposed national budget funding, and the scale of loans? And fourth, what is the rationalization behind killing big ticket items? This is part of what holding government accountable means at its core.
Guyanese are the ones who will be saddled with the tremendous debt loads; they deserve the kind of light that comes from inspiring and inspirational representation from the opposition. This was not obvious, as it had not been achieved; citizens received none of that from the opposition. The PPP government was only too happy to push the buttons of the opposition, and go along with what was an absolute charade. In fact, it was part vaudeville, and in many parts parliamentary porn. The latter is one aspect of the 2021 budget that will remain famous, and indivisible to many.
We have all been condemned to be eyewitnesses to verbal tongue bubbles within a pandemic-driven physical bubble with what happened in parliament and this so-called budget debate. It was a long sad interlude; this country could be in for longer, much saddle periods.