Saying that the country is at crossroads, Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira on Monday evening urged the parliamentary opposition parties against withholding support for the national budget.
Teixeira, in her contribution to the budget debate, told the National Assembly that the country is at crossroads and called on the opposition for support. “We are at the crossroads… as a people, as a country …and in parliament,” she said. “I sincerely hope that APNU and AFC do not blow this opportunity to approve this budget to allow Guyana to continue on path of progress… to allow our people to get on with their lives and business,” Teixeira added, pointing out that while the debating is going on in the National Assembly, the ordinary ‘man-in-the-street’ is hoping to see more development.
Teixeira argued that the PPP/C has made significant inroads in developing the country over the last 20 years, and that the 2012 budget continued in laying a foundation to this end.
“This budget builds on other budgets and builds tangible support for development,” she said, while noting that in the years between 2001 and 2012, the government has been working on a plan in which it has been balancing economic growth with a developmental plan to improve the lives of the populace.
She said the PPP/C government has been working to achieve the goals and targets it set out to develop the country and she warned that the greatest challenge is not economic but integration.
Teixeira said that the achievements of the country are not of the PPP/C but rather the nation as a whole and she noted that the people have said that their lives have improved over the years.
Earlier in her 35-minute presentation Teixeira hailed those who were integral to the Constitutional Reform Process and she singled out the late Winston Murray and Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, among others, for their exemplary efforts in moving the process forward.
Teixeira said that the reform process was good for the country and, according to her it was built on an inclusive governance model.
