Despite his resignation from the post just over a week ago, APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon last night performed the traditional role of the of Leader of the Opposition when he wrapped the opposition’s contributions to the budget debate.
With Harmon’s resignation and the subsequent announcement on Wednesday that fellow MP Nicolette Henry would be giving up her seat, it was expected that recently elected PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton would have been appointed in time to close the debate for the opposition coalition.
Although the Central Executive of the PNCR, the largest constituent of APNU, has said Norton should be Leader of the Opposition – and there is support from coalition partner AFC for him taking up the post – he would first have to be extracted from the APNU+AFC List of Candidates by the Representative of the List, former president David Granger, to fill the vacancy. However, sources told this newspaper that up to last evening there had been no official communication to the Parliament Office of Henry’s resignation or the naming of Norton as her replacement.
Even before Harmon made his virtual presentation, the situation had not gone unnoticed as many government speakers drew attention to the coalition not having a leader in place.
Seemingly unmoved, Harmon used his almost one-and-a-half-hour long virtual presentation to take the government to task for what he argued was the glaring absence of policies and programmes to improve the lives of ordinary Guyanese.
Premising his argument on the purported instructions issued to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh in the crafting of budget 2022, Harmon argued that the design parameters appeared to be wrong. “That also is the problem with his budget. The design is bad. Dr Singh I know you know how to put together a budget. But if you get a bad design, bad parameters, you can only expect failure,” he said.
He contended that none of the budgets since the PPP/C took office in 2020 catered for the development of the poor and working-class, while adding that the current estimates before the House stay true to that contention.
“The average Guyanese have not benefited from the two budgets presented thus far in this House and yet again, minuscule benefits are being offered to the working class and the unemployed. Mr Speaker, the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance should redo this anti-Guyanese budget and come again,” he said.
Harmon argued that while the budget is prepared to utilize the funds from the Natural Re-sources Fund, which is the patrimony of all Guyanese, most of them are not feeling the effects of Guyana’s newfound wealth. He added that the government has failed to deliver a good or better life for Guyanese through its plans, programmes and policies.
“The new oil finds that are announced by Exxon and lately by CGX have not generated excitement and interest by the Guyanese people is because they cannot see the benefit of all of these oil finds and this petrostate that we are creating. They do not see the benefits trickling down to them that affects their livelihoods,” he posited.
He furthered the argument of his opposition colleagues that the benefits of the 2022 budget are only aimed at improving the lives of a selected few, a departure from the government’s mantra of a “One Guyana.” Harmon posited that ‘One Guyana’ must include critical components like equity, justice, fairness, transparency, inclusionary democracy, opportunities for young people, better quality of life for pensioners, respect for public servants, freedom of speech and benefits for women.
The former Minister of State said that a national budget has to speak to development at an individual level, at the community level and at the national level, before adding that its impact of that has to be felt by vendors in the market, professionals, engineers, doctors, and farmers. However, he argued that all of that is lacking in the budget before the House to be considered.
“The vast majority of the people of Guyana are made to settle for pittance at the bottom while those at the top continue to create an environment for themselves to continue the
pilferage of the public coffers. As an opposition, Mr Speaker, we will not stand by and see that happen and along with a mobilized citizenry, we will fight the scourge before it takes hold in this country,” Harmon said.
Failed projects and plans
Taking a peek back into the history of the ruling party, Harmon pointed out that it has become a trend for the PPP/C to invest heavily in failed projects and plans. As a means of getting his point across Harmon highlighted the multibillion-dollar investment in the e-governance fibre optic cable which was being executed by Alexei Ramotar, son of then-President Donald Ramotar.
“Mr Speaker It was on the 2nd November 2018 that the then PPP Opposition Leader at that time flayed the PPP over this failed project…the honourable member (Bharraj Jagdeo) was quoted as saying ‘it was a failure, the design parameters were all wrong’,” he said.
Harmon – whose government closed four sugar estates and laid off some 7000 workers without alternative plans – accused the PPP/C of continuing to fund the failing Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and he said that the government does not care about the industry rather it keeps bailing it out to keep sugar workers “beholden to them.”
“It will continue to deprive projects in other sectors of billions of much needed budgetary allocations that will bring short, medium and long-term relief to citizens, especially during this time of COVID. The billions are given to GuySuCo Mr Speaker could’ve gone towards providing free education at the University of Guyana. But education is not as important as reopening estates of a failed industry. Today, Mr Speaker GuySuCo has received over $30 billion from the previous two budgets and supplemental and it is set to receive another $6 billion in this budget. We are yet to see the reopening of any estate,” Harmon said.
Pittances
Harmon said that under the coalition government, Guyanese had more disposable income as their salaries were drastically improved and the income tax threshold increased.
“The small increase of the threshold and the invisible and tangible disposable income you are talking about has been all swallowed up even before it reaches the pocket of our public servants and citizens. It is all eaten up by a cost of living that is increasing daily,” he argued.
He accused the government of being out of touch with the reality of Guyanese since the budget is laden with “pittances being paraded as life-changing measures.”
Turning his attention to the cash grants, Harmon argued that the government is providing the citizenry with no long term alternatives of sustainably improving their lives rather it prefers them to continue looking forward to one-off handouts. He said that the budget is heavily focused on the trickle-down economy by proving large benefits to the private sector while ignoring the most vulnerable. He called for greater consultation with the people on the development of the country.
Harmon also used his time to also highlight the controversial passage of the Natural Resource Fund Bill and the lack of proper consultation in crafting the piece of integral legislation.
“The PPP bent on using its one-seat majority to railroad the repeal of the original Natural Resources (Fund) Act approved by the Coalition replacing it with its own bill and reducing the public accountability and oversight committee from 22 to 9 persons. They wanted to watch less and it will be the better for them,” he highlighted.
