-urges Corbin to ensure PNCR participates in Carifesta
President Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has requested a subsidy of $5.6B to avert higher electricity tariffs and he said he urged Opposition Leader Robert Corbin at a meeting on Tuesday to have his party and supporters participate fully in Carifesta.
Following the meeting, Jagdeo also told the Government Informa-tion Agency (GINA) that he has no intention of reviewing the four-month suspension of CNS Channel Six’s licence currently and he outlined government’s position in tackling the increased cost of living and other areas of concern to both himself and Corbin, including the status of local government elections and the Value Added Tax (VAT), which he said could not be reduced.
The President’s meeting with the Opposition Leader, according to GINA, was essentially to consider confirming the Acting Commission-er of Police Henry Greene in the top position of the Guyana Police Force.
Joint parliamentary
opposition
Meanwhile, when asked whether Corbin as Leader of the Opposition had addressed matters of concern to the joint parliamentary opposition, AFC Leader Raphael Trotman said that he was totally unaware that the two leaders had planned on meeting.
Trotman said, “I am aware of the need by the President to consult with the Leader of the Opposition but when it comes to discussions of a national nature, the two meeting alone at the expense of the exclusion of the other opposition parliamentary parties and civil society, it gives rise to unwanted images of collusion.”
Coming on the heels of the stakeholders’ meeting on security issues in which there was reference to wider consultations, he said it was not healthy having gone against their commitments. “In the national interest, we in the AFC do not think it wise for the two men meeting to discuss and decide on national issues and going against their commitment to being more inclusive rather than exclusionary.”
Expressing disappointment that the opposition parties were not even notified about the meeting that was planned, Trotman said, “I wish Mr Corbin luck in his persistence in meeting with the President as Leader of the Opposition without notifying the other opposition parliamentary parties.”
Regarding the local government elections, GINA said that the President noted the concerns of both the PPP/C and the PNCR on “the sloth” of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the registration process, which is further delaying the holding of the elections. He said they both expressed a desire for early local government elections. Meanwhile Corbin, he said, would examine the formula developed for the allocation of subventions to the local government organs.
On the issue of Carifesta, GINA quoted the President as saying that he urged Corbin to move away from the untenable position of not supporting the event.
“…I urged him that they should participate because we intend to pursue it aggressively and we plan to involve everyone including PNC supporters. We hope that they will get very enthusiastic and be involved because this is a Guyanese thing, it is not a PNC or PPP thing.”
On the cost of living on which Corbin raised a number of issues with recommendations, Jagdeo said the government has already implemented some of these including addressing the rising cost of fuel by removing the excise tax on gasoline and constantly reducing the tax on gasoline, providing subsidies to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Water Inc, subsidizing the cost of flour; introducing a temporary cost of living adjustment for public servants and raising the income tax threshold. He revealed that GPL had just requested a $5.6B subsidy to keep tariffs down. GPL had been hinting strongly that it might need to do this.
VAT
On the issue of the reduction of VAT raised by Corbin, Jagdeo said that it could not be reduced because the government has given up $3.2 billion from raising the income tax threshold to ensure that people at the lower end of the salary scale do not pay as much taxes as those who earn more. The government could have easily lowered VAT to 14% and that would have been a loss of $3 billion in revenue. In addition, he said that plans were in train to assist single parent households in some way in the future. On food prices, he said Corbin acknowledged that it was a global problem.
On programmes to train youths and raise production, according to GINA, Jagdeo said that the government was looking at increasing production through the disbursement of seeds while a programme to train some 2,000 youths was being implemented through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport apprenticeship scheme. He urged Corbin to get the word out to the PNCR’s young supporters to acquire a skill and earn a small stipend while undergoing training.
Jagdeo pointed out that some of what Corbin suggested would, if implemented, lead to the expansion of the fiscal deficit which would have an impact on inflation and affect the same group of persons government was currently trying to assist.
Stating that government’s approach was a balanced one, he said that the administration was trying to maintain a sound fiscal environment while cushioning the impact of the fuel crisis and the cost of living increases.
On the concerns of the opposition about Cricket World Cup 2007 expenditure, Jagdeo said that the report would be laid in parliament. However, he noted that there have been audit queries which have to be answered by the parties involved, including the Local Organising Committee.
Carifesta
With regard to the PNCR’s contention that monies being spent on Carifesta should be deployed on reducing the cost of living, Jagdeo said that Carifesta was about business and would be a financial boost to the country in many ways, including in the areas of employment, hotels, catering services and entertainment. The view that the money being spent on Carifesta should go to another area is “narrow-minded,” he said.
On the issue of the attempted arson at cultural venues, Jagdeo said that if Corbin was not in favour of the criminal actions, he needed to send a strong signal that arson was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Corbin told the media after the meeting that he and Jagdeo are to meet again next week.