Dear Editor,
Budget 2020 must be presented by a Government that has a mandate from the people through Free and Fair Elections.
Late Tuesday night, Finance circular No. 7/2019 was issued under the hand of the Finance Secretary who stated in the correspondence, this missive was penned as the delegated authority of the Minister of Finance pursuant to Section 13 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act.
It is unbelievable that a Government that was defeated by way of a No Confidence Vote on December 21, 2018 who by way of spurious and incredible arguments of a ‘34 majority theory’, used the legal system to buy themselves seven months and counting to implement a budget that they had no mandate to implement. Rather than offering goods and services to all the people of Guyana, they used questionable processes of procurement to award contracts to their political allies, friends and families to shore up political support.
This letter that was sent to all Heads of Budget Agencies and Departments including Constitutional Bodies came 8 days after a definitive and explicit ruling from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and in the face of the operationalization of Articles 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution. Is someone being delusional or is it plain stubbornness? Or maybe it is a mentality that is being exposed that this Government believes that it can continue to hang on to power indefinitely. How desperate can one be?
So the charade continues, they used an argument of the ‘34 majority theory’ to implement the 2019 Budget and now they hope to use the argument of House to House Registration to buy themselves more time so that they can formulate, prepare and present a 2020 Budget. The Minister of Finance who stood resigned on December 21, 2018 is presumptuously pursuing a path of provocation by causing this circular No. 7/2019 to be issued.
I hereby call on all Heads of Budget Agencies, Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers and Heads of Constitutional Bodies to familiarize themselves with the rulings of the CCJ which are available on their official website. Do not be bullied!
We in the PPP/C Parliamentary Opposition will not allow this folly and untamed ignorance coupled with the brazen arrogance of this APNU+AFC Government to go unchecked. No caretaker Government which is the current status of this Granger-led Coalition should be allowed to be this blatant and disrespectful in its conduct. To pursue this illegality is to create an environment for collision and confrontation rather than conciliation and preserving the wellbeing of our people.
The provisions in the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act provide for a Budget by March/April, 2020; there is no crisis. A Budget which defines the vision, priorities and programmes for the prosperity and development of all the people of Guyana by a Government that is legal, constitutional and democratically elected through free and fair elections, is the only one that will be accepted.
Yours faithfully,
Bishop Juan A. Edghill
PPP/C MP
