Senior Minister within the Office of the President (OP), with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Friday last, announced a 6.5% increase in pay for the salaries for public servants; together with a one (1) month bonus for the members of the Disciplined Services (Joint Services, et al).
The announcement by the Senior Minister, in the context of an ever increasing Real Cost of Living Increase, for Guyanese generally—together with the collective sentiments and fervour permeating the nation with the passing of five (5) of the country’s most senior and decorated Military Officers, downed near the Venezuelan Border in the midsts of a military build up and Border spat—is/was a master class move in the country’s political economics and growing geopolitical importance that has served to kerfuffle an entire nation; hats off to those where credit is due!
When I read the news, and juxtaposed the context of Guyana, the issues of a topical nature occupying the minds of the Guyanese nation, and the timing of the two announcements, Part 2, to my initial column ‘Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics’ wrote itself.
In that initial column, I had explored the deceptive nature of the earnings made by Guyanese, directly, under the newly enacted Local Content legislation.
The new announcements will now allow me to explore what this increase really means in light of an unknown soon to be released, ‘Official Inflation’ rate for the country—that will no doubt be lost in the headlines—and the updated, Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate which, will share a different fate.
There will—and this is my personal projection—be even more glowing tributes to the performance of the country’s economics, which will inherently lead to even more glowing headlines.
Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir, is expected to present on Monday December 11 at 2:00PM, in the National Assembly, a number of reports , including the Auditor General Report on the Public Accounts of Guyana and on the Accounts of Ministries, Departments and Regions for the fiscal year ended 31st December, 2022.
He is also expected to lay over for the 65 Members of the National Assembly, and concomitantly make public, the Performance Audit Report on an Assessment of the Ministry of Education’s Hinterland School Feeding Programme and the Performance Audit Report on the Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).
Additionally, the Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Honourable Mark Phillips, is expected to lay over, and thus also make public, the Annual Report of the Public Utilities Commission for the year 2022.
These, in addition to a slew of other important financial reports,are critical for deciphering for the nation.
The political opposition however, is instead hell-bent on grabbing headlines, with a propaganda show, using its Day—where its (parliamentary opposition) matters are held in priority—to instead discuss a position, for which there is already a general national consensus among the leaders of all political parties and the People’s of the country, Guyanese—The defence of the territorial integrity of the country.
Monday is a Private Members sitting of the National Assembly. An opportunity that comes around once every four (4) sitting’s, where the opposition’s issues are given priority over government business. Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, may very well want to respond to this public position by pointing to Dr. Singh’s timing of the announcement of the Mid-Year report for 2023, also expected to be made public on Monday, December 11, 2023.
But Mr. Norton should be guided that his Motion to discuss Guyana’s territorial integrity is being brought up under the parliamentary standing orders for urgent matters of public importance, hence a special request to speaker of the House, Manzoor Nadir.
The Parliamentary Order Paper by the Clerk of the National Assembly—outlining the formalised and already agreed to agenda—was made public on Thursday last, a Day before Dr. Singh’s salary increase and joint services bonus announcement was made on Friday, December 8.
On Monday the country’s inflation rate, and other critical financial matters will be officially made public by the Minister with Responsibility for Finance Dr. Singh, who will also lay over the official Mid-Year Financial report for 2023, making that document public too. I am just connecting the dots not underestimating the mental faculties of my Guyanese brothers and sisters. Until next time when we explore some of the actual numbers that are to be made public on Monday and we connect the dots together.
