If elected, the Change Guyana party would grant farmers tax-free status and reopen an agricultural development bank geared to making financing for them easier, party leader Robert Badal has said.
“We would end the eye pass once and for all and put it that farmers in Guyana would have tax-free status. Whether rice, ground provision or any farmer, all farmers will have tax free status,” Badal yesterday told a press conference.
“And one of the first things would be to get an agriculture development bank. We had one years ago. It was discontinued…,” he added, before saying that the bank initiative was one of the measures Essequibo farmers last week lobbied his party for.
Badal pointed out that interest rates charged by commercial banks range from 12% to 20% for farmers, which he called unsustainable. “This is untenable. Who can pay that level of interest rate?” he questioned.
He said the current high interest rates mean that the profits go from the small farmers to “big banks” and that must stop.
An agriculture development bank, he posited, will stimulate investments, create jobs and enhance the livelihoods of farmers all across the country. Low cost of credit will stimulate rural development, he reasoned, saying also that it will give rise to balanced development across the country instead of the concentration being in the capital.
“They take our taxes and spend in Georgetown and very little is done in the regions. This will encourage small business development and building a vibrant middle class,” Badal said.
But when it comes to management of the bank, Badal pointed out that it would not be state-managed as he believes private sector-leadership would see more returns and better management.
“Such a bank would be managed on the basis of private sector principles of efficiency and prudence. Equity will be extended to farmers and small business owners. They become the beneficiary. They support the bank, they get dividend, and it is a cycle of money returning to those for whom it is intended. That is the plan that differs from all over the years,” he said. “When we walked through the community they [residents] are asking what we can expect from these guys [government]. They never run a cake shop. If you never run a cake shop, how can you invest other people’s money? What level of responsibility?” he questioned.
Badal said that he believes most persons are turning to politics not for the good of the people but to “put their hands on the public treasury”.
He added that the citizenry needs to understand the implication of having an incompetent government run the country. “We say we are poor but we don’t understand why we are poor,” Badal posited.
“The repeated failure of leadership at the highest level since independence has resulted in our country being the second poorest in the region after Haiti. Failure to generate growth-oriented policies coupled with high levels of corruption, wastage of resources, big government and high taxes have resulted in underdevelopment of massive proportions. While other countries are pacing forward our per capita income remains at under US$4000 compared to little Antigua with US$17,000. What a shame,” he declared.
‘Affordable, quality healthcare for all’
Turning to healthcare, both Badal and the party’s prime ministerial candidate Nigel Hinds said that much more has to be done for the sick of this country and that their party had the vision to ensure quality healthcare.
“It is a government responsibility… affordable, high quality healthcare for all. Unfortunately the state of healthcare is very poor, to say the least,” he stressed, while pointing out that in the rural regions it is worse.
“There is lack of specialists, medical equipment –at Suddie they don’t even have a scanner, they don’t have training facilities for nurses and other medical professionals,” he observed.
His plan includes revisiting the establishment of a specialty hospital albeit one run by the private sector. “No government money in it. Whatever fiscal incentives are required, we will make it efficient and functioning at a world-class quality,” he said. “Private sector level of efficiency means better value for money spent.”
In addition, Badal also promised revamping of the Georgetown Public Hospital as well as the restructuring of the national system for the procurement of drugs as the party believes the current system allows for wastage.
For Change Guyana, all of its proposed plans are achievable and Badal underscored that he was not just making promises since persons could judge his and party executives’ business acumen.
“They never run a cake shop… we have successful businesses,” he said.
“The choice is ours and only ours. Voting for the two gangs that dominated our lives since independence would install them for another 50 years. Is this what we want for our country? I believe we don’t. Let’s not be fooled again! Change Guyana gives us that choice, the right choice, right now! Let’s not fail ourselves this time around,” Badal stressed.
