By Annette Ferguson MP- Now that the 2025 budget debates have ended, I can review the performance of the presenters. First, I publicly take the opportunity in congratulating my colleagues from the Opposition, who were able to expose the deeds of the Government, showing how incompetent they have been over the last five years, and explicitly shared the policies of the next Coalition Government, which is more centered on people’s development and not of enriching families and friends, which currently exist under a PPP/C regime.
As a Member of Parliament, I felt disrespected. The speaker’s list for the debates were prepared in consonance with Chief Whips from both sides of the house. Imagine, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo was listed to speak just before Mr. Aubrey Norton, Opposition Leader on the last day of the Budget Debates; Thursday, January 30, 2025.
He was notably absent from the chambers; but was seen at his usual one man show, attempting to hoodwink Guyanese on what budget 2025 has for them, and how the Opposition is delusional and dishonest, rather than presenting himself to debate his $1.38Trillion Budget. The Speaker did not see it fit to inform the house, reasons for Mr. Jagdeo’s absence. He too must be called out for his failures on holding members accountable. Who is Bharrat Jagdeo?
Another concern I wish to highlight, during the debates students along with their educators were in attendance and boy oh boy, the behaviour of Mr. Kwame McKoy, who serves as a Minister of Government, and should be setting examples, was most despicable to say the least, and one I deem unacceptable.
Yes, heckling is allowed in the house, but Mr. Mckoy exaggerates, without any form of reprimand from the Speaker of the House, while the Opposition is treated with a different yardstick. Is this the legacy we want to leave in this Twelfth Parliament of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana? I guess the attitudes and behaviours portrayed by Mr. Mckoy are accepted and hive become norms in the party he represents. Speaker Nadir is not in charge of his Assembly!
Ministers Anil Nandlall, SC, and Sonia Parag, in my assessment have been awarded a Grade F for their presentations, since they failed to share what their respective ministries will be engaged in from the allocations in budget 2025.
I sat there throughout the presentations by Government Ministers and their Members of Parliament, and at times I was wondering whether I was sitting in a Social Studies class or History lessons; since all of their focus was on what happened in the 1960’s -1990’s, with the exclusion of what they were engaged in when Hon. Claudette Singh, SC, vitiated the 1997 Elections, where the PNCR won those elections. They failed to tell the nation how Gocool Boodoo, former CEO of GECOM attempted to fiddle with the numbers to give PPPc wins in the 2011 and 2015 General and Regional Elections.
The PPPC is GUILTY of Electoral Malpractices, but always pointing finger, when four are pointing back to them. This tit for tat is not doing us well as a nation. Why some Politicians want to keep a nation looking backwards to what may have transpired some fifty (50) plus years, long before I was conceived.
I can attest to the fact when my siblings and I attained the age to vote, our parents NEVER sat us down to say X happened with this political party and Y happened. Therefore, you should vote this way! Absolutely Not! We were guided by our conscience, based on the manifestos presented by political parties. This remains with us today, and similarly, we have passed it down to our generations.
It is sad where our nation is after fifty-seven (57) years as an Independent. Our fore parents fought against colonialism, and it appears that the PPPc wants to keep us in subjugation. Our freedom was fought for, and we are liberated. The PPPc practice Politics of divide and rule, which continues to make bad blood amongst communities and our people. I have been following politics in North America and the Caribbean, and never have I heard politicians going at each other, the way I see home here in Guyana. It is time the silliness ends!
As we prepare for General and Regional Elections 2025 sometime in the year, my appeal to Guyanese, do not allow yourselves to be caught in the web of deception by the PPP/C! Their interest is to remain in power at every cost. They are not interested in fostering unity and good governance, it’s about keeping guard at the gates of our Natural Resource Fund, where they are plundering without scrutiny.
Finally, my encouragement to colleagues in the political environment, it is time we grow political maturity and cease the political grandstanding. We have a nation to build and bequeath to our future generations. Let us put an end to petty and vindictive politics. It is doing our nation, more harm than good!
Can we, do it? Yes, we can!
May God bless our beautiful Nation, Guyana
