“Pettiness must end, we must work together” –Rev. Gilbert urges

“What holds us together is greater and stronger than what divides us,’ Reverend Kwame Gilbert explained patiently to the Parliamentary Opposition as he sought to enlighten them on the reasons for them to throw their full support behind Budget 2013.
“The pettiness must end, we must grow up and do the nation’s business…I am not suggesting that we should not put our life and spirit into the debate…we are here because the people reposed the confidence in us…that they believe that we represent them well in this House…but at the end of the day it must all be guided by what is in the interest of the nation.”
As the Budget Debate commenced on Tuesday, members of the Opposition bench rose and indicated their reasons for not supporting the national estimates and expenditures for 2013 as presented by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh for the administering of government programmes and policies to manage the nation.
Declaring that Budget 2013 is a pro-Guyanese budget, Rev. Gilbert stated that it was expected that the opposition would be reasonable and not use the occasion for politicking. The budget debate is an occasion for deliberation in the interest of national development consistent with the growth of the nation.
He warned that at times, ignoring the strides made by the country, and underselling and undervaluing the development of the nation to make political points, can be harmful to the country’s development.
“In an attempt to make a political point, we can in a sense create a fear in the international community regarding Guyana’s viability as an investment destination,” he stated.
The PPP/C MP reiterated government’s commitment to Guyana’s development and emphasised that it is not the desire that Guyana’s development be an end product of the PPP/C government, “but rather our desire is that our development be as a result of the dedication, service and faithful cooperation of all Guyanese, particularly those of us who share this hallowed chamber…we have a stake collectively in the development of our country, and as soon as we recognise that…the wellbeing of our nation will be secure.”
Rev. Gilbert pointed out that Budget 2013 speaks to the growth in the economy, and it must be appreciated that the figures contained within did not come about by accident. He further stated that Guyana’s economy was also not preserved by accident from the impact that other countries felt, “the numbers tell a story,” he observed.
The government MP emphasised the fact that more Guyanese are now accessing health care than before; women, children and the elderly have programmes to enhance their development.
He explained that for job creation to come about, there must first be the service creation of the environment for Foreign Direct Investment to lead to this, and that this was the corporate and the private sector’s responsibility.
Comparing allocations to education internationally, he noted that Guyana of all those countries, has allocated the largest percentage to that sector.
“The budget is a road map for Guyana to achieve maximum potential,” he stated. Referring to the opposition’s proclivity to cut budget allocations, “I would like to caution, that if the intent is to cut a limb from a tree, hoping that it would fall on your neighbour’s head, it would be wise to ensure that you are not sitting on the limb that you intend to cut,” he warned.
“In essence, cutting the budget will not just affect 32 persons in this House. It will affect the entire nation…I hope, I am optimistic, that when this process is completed…the end result would be the Guyanese people and their best interest is served and that Budget 2013 is passed with the full support of all parties in this House and together we accelerate the gains for Guyana.”