Not only has the government failed to properly address crime, but the cries of the Guyanese continue to fall on deaf ears, according to former public service minister Dr. Jennifer Westford.
“Is like stick bruk in they ears, so they cannot hear the cries of the people who they love to say voted for them; it is the cries of fathers, cries of the anxious mothers and children of the nation that they continue to ignore,” the former minister told the National Assembly on Wednesday, when the budget debate continued.
Westford, who is currently facing criminal charges for larceny from the state as well forgery, used her presentation to condemn the government’s attitude towards addressing the country’s current crime problem.
“Our dear citizens continue to live in fear of being robbed, being raped or even murdered as crimes continue unabated in spite of government’s A to Z crime plans… our private sector is reeling under the assault of criminals and businesses are spending hundreds of millions of dollars with respect to adding more security; this has become an added cost that will be passed down the line to the vulnerable consumer. Once again, another burden on the poor; all of this due to the failure of government to deal with crime in a very comprehensive manner,” she added.
Westford also shared her concerns about the service at public hospitals and noted that many persons turn to the public healthcare system because they cannot afford the private hospitals.
The former minister also condemned the proposed application of a 14% Value-Added Tax to electricity bills over $10,000 per month and water bills over $1,500 per month and called on all “right thinking citizens of the country to reject what she said is an “apology of a budget” that is being forced upon them.
Quoting the Bible, Westford urged the government to withdraw the budget, saying, “if a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”
Westford and her former personnel officer Margaret Cummings are before the courts on charges relating to attempted larceny of state vehicles and alleged theft of hundreds of millions of dollars that cannot be accounted for at the former ministry.
