Ramson, Flue-Bess face off over culture, youth and sport

APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Nima Flue-Bess yesterday raised concerns about several ongoing projects and budget priorities of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

“The allocation of $3.6 billion for culture appears nice at first glance, but a closer look reveals that, in the spirit of genuine intent, 57.2% of this sum may be put towards infrastructure, leaving our artists, musicians, and cultural practitioners scrambling for scraps,” she stated during her presentation on the 2025 budget. “What is the rationale used by the Ministry to determine where a project is most needed? We see from last year’s budget, a recording studio is set up in Port Mourant. It’s not completed as yet. But, Mr. Speaker, the question is, what’s the rationale? Mr. Speaker, how can we preserve Guyana’s cultural tapestry when the government’s priorities are glaringly skewed?”, she asked.

Flue-Bess asserted that Guyana’s cultural heritage had been stripped of its vibrancy.

“Mr. Speaker, Guyana’s cultural heritage is a unifying force for development, a representation of our cultural cross-fertilization. Yet, Mashramani, a cornerstone of our national identity, has been reduced to a mundane spectacle. Stripped of its vibrancy by a government intent on imposing its narrow, consensuses vision of one Guyana. The government’s interference in cultural expression is not only imprudent, but an affront to our nation’s heritage.”

Addressing the challenges faced by athletes, Flue-Bess commended their efforts but called for greater support.

“And I pause to acknowledge, and let’s acknowledge our athletes who have met every challenge, who have met every trial, who have met every testing, but [have been] able to stand for those medals and fly the Golden Arrowhead, not the one Guyana, the Golden Arrowhead of Guyana for this nation. Unlike when you send the children to the Inter-Guyana Games and the uniform got big ‘One Guyana,’ you don’t even see the flag. Where is our Coat of Arms? Where are our national symbols? This is what we want to see. That’s why we send Guyana. While the government boasts of medals achieved by our athletes, all of Guyana is super proud of their achievements.”

Flue-Bess questioned the consistency of support provided to athletes, noting delays in stipends and substandard accommodations for international competitions.

“Where is the support for these athletes? Mr. Speaker, the announcement of stipends for our athletes was nice. And I can say it, nice. The athletes cannot say with certainty which time of the month the stipend will be ready. And the lack of respect towards these sportsmen and women is quite blatant. Participation in international competition. Oh, we participate in international competition. Yes, bravo. Mr. Speaker, the government will boast. Let’s talk about the type of accommodation and the meals these athletes will get when they leave Guyana to compete. Who went and checked the facilities for the French Guiana Games? Our athletes stayed in a rundown old dorm. That’s where our athletes stayed, where the door can’t even close. And to represent Guyana. Why our athletes don’t be accommodated with the other athletes? We are, as you say, the fastest-growing economy. And we cannot adequately invest in ensuring that these athletes are accommodated in fine style with other teams and are comfortable.”

She further criticized the government for delays in upgrading community grounds, stating that “In budget 2023-2024, you said you were going to do 251 grounds. They were going to be upgraded. Fine. Then, that part of the year, the Minister came and said that the funds were exhausted and presented a list of 93 grounds. I have it in hand, sir. Mr. Speaker, interestingly, how are these grounds completed? Fences fully constructed. No gates in place. Animals running over the field. The neglect has rendered the grounds unsafe to use. Dangerous holes caused by animal activity and stuff like that. These fields remain surrounded and invaded with negligence to the east, pirates on the west, inefficiency on the north, and more trouble on the south.”

Countering

In countering her claims, culture youth and sports minister Charles Ramson, used his 30 plus minutes and an extension of 5 minutes allotted to respond. He used 10 minutes remaining from the time to speak on the sector after responding to claims made over the days by other members, commending the oil and gas sector and responding to claims made by Flue Bess on her party’s track record.

“The Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Mr. Speaker, has been restored to its rightful space at the level of the Cabinet. And it has been transformed in the last four years. And I want to start off particularly with culture this time. The Ministry participated and held over 60 events last year, and there are only 52 weeks in a year. Twenty-six were held in other countries. We held a literary arts festival, the Dancehall Monarch, which was new, and it’s now the most popular entry in the Mashramani song competitions.”

Ramson detailed investments in the arts, including songwriter training programmes, theatre arts workshops, and new cultural programmes.

“We trained 400 young people last year, and it’s been over 1,000 since 2022 when it was introduced. And we completed the review and the draft of the legislation for the National Trust, which will be tabled this year. First time it was ever done. We did 37 meetings of hard work to get that accomplished.”

Turning to sports, Ramson highlighted improvements in the sector, including an increase in international events and medals won by athletes.

“In 2024, Guyana secured 534 medals in international and regional championships. In 2023, Guyana participated in 51 regional and international tournaments. In 2024, it was 102. In 2023, Guyana held 15 international sporting events. In 2024, it was 29—an increase of 93 percent. We held the CPL, the cricket world cup, and introduced the global super league. Our athletes are now signed with major shoe dealers and are achieving scholarships. We will be having a gold medal Olympic and world champion who will be doing one of our elite training with our athletes.”

On the topic of community grounds, Ramson countered “When the APNU+AFC came to government, they cut expenditure on community grounds by 66 percent.”

He emphasized that 320 community grounds were upgraded, totaling 550 if hinterland grounds were included.