The recent antics by the parliamentary opposition in the National Assembly in relation to the two financial papers submitted by government will not in any way affect or slow the work of government, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said.
In an invited comment following last Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Dr. Singh stated that while the aim of the opposition might be to attempt to frustrate government’s work, those efforts were inevitably destined to fail because the government had operated and continues to operate at all times well within the law.
Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh
He pointed out that all of the items of expenditure incurred and reflected on the financial papers were within the law, and the mere fact that government brought those papers to Parliament is a clear statement about government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
The minister further stated that the accounting officers of the agencies concerned would have exercised due diligence and ensured compliance with applicable procedures in the incurrence of the expenditure.
Minister Singh further stated that the antics by the opposition had to be seen for what they are, “blatant abuse of a parliamentary majority of one seat, for the purposes of political grandstanding and posturing. The opposition was unable to provide a single credible objection to any of the expenditure incurred. Yet they withheld approval of certain items with no grounds whatsoever.”
Minister Singh pointed out that it is instructive that the opposition cannot point to a single substantive reason or grounds on which approval should be withheld.
“Under no circumstance would government allow these baseless and opportunistic antics by the opposition to succeed in stymieing or slowing growth and development in Guyana,” he said.
Dr. Singh pointed out that the Guyanese economy had achieved an outstanding track record of strong performances over the past six years, and that the government would continue to ensure that the momentum of recent years is maintained. “The work of the government continues uninterrupted and unaffected,” he said.
