The government is seeking some GUY$13.6B in supplementary provisions with the allocations for several agencies affected by the budget cuts included in two financial papers laid in the National Assembly on Thursday.  

But the opposition has already signalled that it will not be smooth sailing

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The papers laid by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh included a GUY$1B provision which had been cut from a proposed GUY$6B subvention for the Guyana Power and Light Company as well as GUY$1.97B for Low Carbon Development Strategy projects.

The government is also seeking an additional GUY$5.3B for the acquisition of a 26MW power plant for which GUY$1.9B.

APNU’s Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge said that they would need more information on some of the allocations being sought.

“As they’ve been submitted we’ll not be able to approve them in their entirety. There is of course amongst them an adjustment to fund the increase in Old Age Pension, that is the one that we can say unambiguously that we will support.

But the others, there are different requirements that are different from others; some require more information, others require clarification, as regards how we vote on one or two we will need to understand them further,” Greenidge stated.

Regarding those allocations were cut and are now being resubmitted the APNUMP stated that they will “attract the same criticism we made before.”

Following the opposition’s slashing of some GUY$20.9B from the proposed GUY$192.8B budget in April they had stated that the government could return to the House for supplementary provisions for the affected agencies once the reforms they were seeking were carried out.

Among the provisions being sought is the restoration of the full amount for salaries for the Office of the President contract employees which the combined opposition had used its one-seat majority to reduce. The government is also seeking the restoration of the subsidies for the Government Information Agency and the National Communications Network.  

Other funds being sought under the OP heading include allocations to pay for climate change consultancies and legal fees; information communication technology projects; and subventions to several organisations.

The government had challenged the budget cuts in the High Court and the acting Chief Justice Ian Chang subsequently ruled that the cuts were unconstitutional but could not be overturned because the House had passed the appropriations bill following the consideration of the budget estimates. However, Chang had ruled that the allocation for the Ethnic Relations Commission be restored.

That allocation along with those cut from the State Planning Secretariat and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit are also being sought.

Among the new provisions being asked for is GUY$635M to meet the additional cost associated with the increase in Old Age Pension from $8,100 to $10,000 per month.  Additionally, the government is seeking some GUY$319M for the Justice Improvement Project and GUY$134M for additional works on the Ministry of Health’s warehouse.

The financial papers are to be debated next Thursday.