Estimates proposed for current and capital expenditure for Region Seven were yesterday passed in the National Assembly after a flurry of questions from Alliance for Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MPs, who then abstained from the vote.
The first questions of the session posed to Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud came from APNU MP Dawn Hastings who asked why a sum of $19 million had been proposed for maintenance of buildings in 2013 when no such requests had been made since 2011.
Persaud explained that allocations for this expense was formerly placed under Public Works, and therefore financed in this area. He said the building has since been transferred to Regional Administration and Finance, where it is now being budgeted for. The buildings included the Regional Management Office, to be renovated at a cost of $6 million, the Regional Guest House, to be renovated at $5 million, and two Amerindian hostels to be renovated at $3 million each.
AFC MP Trevor Williams enquired about $19.753 million, allocated by government for payment to contracted workers. Persaud shared that the funds were intended to pay the salaries of two accounts clerks who would receive $47,605 monthly and a stores clerk who would receive $37,657 monthly.
Williams also questioned a sum of $11.118 million slated for payment to administrative staff, noting that only $8 million was asked for in 2012. Persaud again rose and explained that the increase is to facilitate payment to a staff who was promoted to Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO).
APNU MP Volda Lawrence rose to query why there had been no requests for funds to carry out maintenance of roads, bridges, drainage and irrigation works, sea and river defences and other infrastructure. A concerned Lawrence asked the minister why provisions had not been made for these works, especially in the light of the dissatisfaction expressed by residents of the region. Persaud said the allocations had been made under Public Works.
Such was the tempo of yesterday’s consideration of the estimates for capital and current expenditure for region seven and MP after MP took turns quizzing Persaud on the proposed amounts. Additional questions were asked by APNU MPs Jaipaul Sharma and Winston Felix among others.
Ultimately, the amounts were passed as government voted in favour of the proposals while the opposition parties chose to abstain.
