{"id":7688,"date":"2023-01-28T15:09:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T20:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/?p=7688"},"modified":"2023-01-28T15:24:07","modified_gmt":"2023-01-28T20:24:07","slug":"budget-presentation-by-catherine-hughes-january-27-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/?p=7688","title":{"rendered":"Budget presentation by Catherine Hughes, January 27, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Budget presentation<\/span><\/p>\n

Catherine Hughes<\/span><\/p>\n

January 27, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Speaker ,<\/span><\/p>\n

Once again I\u2019m here to address this honourable house on another budget \u2013 this time our 2023 national budget-\u201cImproving lives today, building prosperity for tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me start by recognizing that the preparation of any national budget, especially one of this size is no easy task. I recognize the long hours of work undertaken by the staff of the Ministry of Finance, Minister Ashni Singh and most importantly the families of staff members who would have endured many hours of their loved ones working overtime to fashion budget 2023. To all I say thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I stand here today to address this august house in my \u201cBritish accent\u201d as as been claimed by one of the members on the other side, one would think that my immediate response would be to just laugh in the face of such pettiness at this critical juncture in our history, but I can\u2019t because it hurts me to think that in this day and age we are still quibbling over a distraction so as not to address the \u2018real\u2019 issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

One might also assume that I do not appreciate the efforts that have been made to put together a budget that, maybe for the first time in our history, has behind it the resources to provide for our people in ways that we could never think of before. I do appreciate the effort, woeful though it is, but my overriding response is a deep disappointment that this opportunity to really give our country and our people what they have waited for, for so long, is an opportunity lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

I cannot but weep for my people, the people of Guyana, who had hoped that they would see in this budget a true understanding of the role of any government: the need to put their people first; to see that the benefits gained from the oil boom could create real time transformation in people\u2019s lives. I had earnestly hoped that this budget would showcase a change of thinking on the part of the PPP\/C, that they would have seen what could be done with the resources we now have available and that they would have had the moral inclination to do so. Alas, it was to no avail.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the lack of understanding of the needs of the Guyanese populace that has been highlighted in this budget presentation is the willingness to defend its inadequacies with a spate of inaccuracies and in some cases outright lies that are mind boggling, to say the least.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our aim as the elected representatives of our people is to ensure that we provide the means for every last one of them to live full lives, have access to quality healthcare, education, the means to earn a living wage, provide for them a dignified old age and to use the country\u2019s resources towards that purpose. So on behalf of my people, the people of Guyana, the questions I must ask and try to answer are:<\/span><\/p>\n