The PNCR is calling on the government to do an immediate evaluation of VAT with a view to significantly lowering the 16% tax and it also flayed the Jagdeo administration over the conduct of one of its Cabinet ministers, the withdrawal of ads from Stabroek News and what it said was worsening corruption among other issues.
In his New Year’s message, PNCR Leader Robert Corbin said that those who hold political office continue to govern on the assumption that they alone can make decisions for the Guyanese people. He made reference to what he described as the government’s unilateral approach to governance in its continued flawed “and prejudiced judgement on critical issues, which continues to impact negatively on progress in our country and the unity of the Guyanese people.”
Corbin said the nation was deceived by the government on the matter of the Value Added Tax (VAT) labelling it as “a cruel deception” for which everyone; especially the poor, the unemployed, pensioners, single mothers and various categories of disadvantaged Guyanese are literally paying a higher price. In this vein, the party leader urged the government to undertake an immediate re-evaluation of VAT with a view of considerably reducing the existing rate.
“Fellow Guyanese! I cannot say whether the President’s predictions about the impact of VAT were based on his own judgment or whether those predictions were simply a ruse by the PPP/C to deceive the people of Guyana. Suffice to say that the outcome now stares us squarely in the face. The nation was deceived by the Government on the matter of VAT. It was a cruel deception for which all of us, particularly the poor, the unemployed, pensioners, single mothers and the various other categories of disadvantaged Guyanese are literally paying a high price”, Corbin declared.
The government was also urged to re-think its decision to raise the electricity tariffs, since the PNCR said it is feared that a point has now been reached where citizens will simply crack under the burden of the cost of living.
Corbin criticised the Private Sector Commission for its statement which said that the surplus from the VAT collection should go towards tax reform. The PNCR Leader said he was issuing the call for a lowering of the VAT rate on behalf of thousands of Guyanese workers who are no longer able to afford even the basic necessities for their families.
The party leader also noted with concern that over the last year crime in all its various forms persisted and this saw further erosion of the confidence of the Guyanese people in the capacity of the government to protect the nation.
Meanwhile, the government’s response to the recent Venezuelan military incursion in Guyana was described as a “lacklustre” one while it was stated that the country’s diplomatic capacity has been continually eroded under the government.
“The casual and dismissive manner in which our protestations were treated in Caracas is a reflection of Venezuela’s lack of any real regard for our diplomatic capacity, which has been continually eroded under the PPP/C Administration”, Corbin argued.
Corbin said that some government functionaries stand accused of obscene demonstrations of public recklessness and said the nation was recently made fully aware of a recent instance by no less a person than a Cabinet minister – a reference to the gun incident that ensnared Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall.
Corbin said that the matter has been disdainfully dismissed by the PPP/C as though it was a childish prank.
“For me and I suspect for most Guyanese the greatest concern was the dismissive manner in which President Jagdeo dealt with this matter in the face of widespread protestations over the recklessness and grossly irresponsible actions of one of his Ministers”, Corbin declared.
Meanwhile, Corbin said last year saw evidence of further disregard by the administration for basic freedoms in the country which was manifested in the “blatant and ongoing attempts to stifle sections of the independent media”.
An example of this, Corbin said is the absence of any credible rationale for the withholding of state advertisements from Stabroek News which has been fully ventilated but, “despite widespread condemnation, it continues unabated and underscores the petulance and pettiness of a president and a political administration that is unresponsive to public opinion.”
He added that the virtual silence of the private sector on a variety of issues was troubling and added “one sincerely hopes that fear of reprisal is not the major factor contributing to the situation. This fear, however, must not be allowed to restrict public discourse on issues of national import in 2008.”
Corbin said his party has seen what he described as the “flagrant acts of discrimination, particularly in the economic sphere, and in the allocation of state resources to various communities, that have become a trademark of the Jagdeo administrations.” Corbin feels that it is this that poses the greatest threat to the stability and the progress of the country.
He said his wish for 2008 was the breaking of the cycle of division in the country. He warned: “The Jagdeo Administration must in this year demonstrate tangibly their commitment to this ideal. Time is not on our side. I have already felt the vibrations of a restless, disappointed and angry people. It is therefore my wish and the wish of our Party that we make that quantum leap while time still allows us to do so. Inclusive or shared governance must therefore be a priority issue in 2008.”
