Taking the government to task for its failings from arranging lopsided agreements with oil companies to failing economic indicators to corruption, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday lambasted government during his contribution to the 2019 budget debate.
“ExxonMobil went into the discussion with a major team and they put their demands on the table and we accepted it without the advice of lawyers, this deal wasn’t well thought out, who were part of the team that sat with Exxon? What was the conversation, why is the public in the dark?” Jagdeo chastised.
According to Jagdeo, there are no measures in the 2019 budget for lowering the balance of payment deficit or other worrying economic indices.
Besides the worrying signs for the economy and the under performing traditional sectors, Jagdeo noted that government has very misplaced priorities in its spending.
He noted that there have been decreases in spending on sectors like health and the Director of Public Prosecutions, compared to previous years. However, Jagdeo referenced the increases in non-essential areas. In addition, the Opposition Leader stated that certain measures and legislative reversals are a recipe for corruption.
Jagdeo also debunked Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson’s assertion that there was no feasibility study for several sectors. According to Jagdeo, a feasibility study was in fact done for the sugar sector and was a prerequisite for foreign funds.
He pointed to the existence of feasibility and marketing studies for the Berbice Bridge, the Marriott Hotel and the Amaila Falls Hydro Project.
In fact, Jagdeo noted that most of this information are contained in public documents and he therefore condemned Patterson for spreading misinformation in the National Assembly.
