Dear Editor,
I am certain that there are a great number of Guyanese who must be wondering why is it that the exchanges in our Parliament in any debate when a budget is being presented are so predictable in nature.
The Opposition is heard to object to almost everything that the government proposes, and the reason is mostly not about the efficacy of whatever is being debated at the time, but that they will agree if certain other projects which they are advocating are brought on board by the government.
We the people expect to hear compelling arguments on both sides of the house on the validity of what initiatives are being proposed, and not the usual attempts of horse-trading that now seem to be the order of the day.
Then there are these other interruptions of the proceedings that clutter up the whole process, which seem to us as if we are witnessing a class of teenagers squabbling about some gripe they face in school.
Our Members of Parliament must realise that we have elected them to demonstrate more maturity and aptitude in crafting a joint budget that is geared towards the continued progress of our nation on all fronts, and there must be a spirit of give and take in their deliberations in this all-important annual process that will determine how and what to pursue to effect this.
This must not be seen as an occasion to gain political points, and I believe that they will be judged in this aspect more than what they actually accomplish.
As a result we continue to witness feasible and essential projects being shelved, with the final outcome being the stagnation and, in some cases, regression of all that has been achieved by those who worked with a more cooperative spirit in the past.
Yours sincerely,
Roy Paul