Talks between the government and the opposition ended on Wednesday with no concessions granted to the opposition on any of the 11 proposals made on making the budget one that they could live with.
Reports coming out of the meeting suggested that the meeting ended with no path forward and with nothing achieved. Meanwhile the opposition continues to make cuts to the budget during the daily examination of the estimates.
Speaking to Stabroek News on Friday, Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira said that while the meeting took place on Wednesday between the joint opposition and the president and other members of the government, the agreement at the end was that whenever each side is willing to meet they will meet, she said.
“I am not sure [whether the meeting] will affect the decisions of the opposition [with regards to the cuts].
We were told that on Monday that there was no nexus between the 11 points and what was going on within the [consideration of the estimates]” she said.
“But it appears that by Wednesday there was nexus…we are not sure…we will see what happens,” she said. The examination of the estimates continues until Wednesday.
The parties are also calling on the government to rescind all frequencies and licences for the broadcast spectrum issued in 2011; to fulfil all commitments regarding the issue of a licence to operate a television station in Region 10; to provide a status report on the use to which transfers provided in budget 2012 for GuySuco and GPL have been put and the effect they have had; to have a commission of inquiry and a technical commission respectively to report on the operation of the two state entities; and to reconstitute the Tax Reform Committee to include members approved by all of the political parties.
