Photos and interviews by Dacia Whaul
Linden Isles – student: ‘I listened to the budget presentation on the radio and read a little print media. I was hoping a little more would have been done for the present unemployment situation and youth development… and the senior citizens pension increase could have been a bit more substantial with the rising cost of living.’
Lynette Ogle – vendor: ‘Well I saw a bit of the presentation on the news… I was hoping to hear an announcement of reasonable increases in wages and salaries for public servants. Because the police, soldiers, nurses and teachers especially work hard and deserve better pay… We need better pay.’
Lennox Prass – pensioner: ‘The budget had nothing for me. What it did have was not significant… look at the old age pension, that should have been increased to $20,000.’
Bibi Zahida Abrahim – pensioner: ‘I wanted them [government] to raise the pension… That money can’t do. When you think about the cost of meat, rice, flour, sugar and other things we need, the money they given not enough… if that money not doing for working people, what happen to pensioners?’
Eula West- senior citizen: ‘The budget should have had a little more for pensioner. When you got to buy kerosene oil, milk and so, the money finish in no time. Like how cost of living raise, I was hoping to see everything raise.’
Joyce Johnson – vendor: ‘The budget raise the pension, but that ain’t no particular raise… We can’t survive on that… another thing I heard was the money allocated for cleaning up garbage. I hope the place stay clean when they clean.’
Sidney Dover: ‘The raise in pension is not enough. I think they [government] should control the price of goods on the market, because the money can’t buy nothing much there… as it relates to cleaning up the country, the moneys paying out but I hope the service is provided.’
Anthony Goodman: ‘Watch this place; I want to see it clean with the money they say they put for cleaning in the budget. Everybody just looking out for themselves.’
Rawle France: ‘We waiting to see if the moneys will spend for what they said it is for.’
Mugabe Jawanza: ‘Well the money allocated to clean the country especially the city sounds effective. Georgetown needs a lot of cleaning. This has become a garbage city… when you go outside Georgetown them places clean, clean. It not only about cleaning the place up, but Guyanese people need to clean their minds. They help to clog up the drains. I hope the money covers maintenance at least every two weeks to ensure the city stays clean.’
