GINA, NCN Budget could be slashed again – Opposition Leader

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), David Granger is putting the National Communications Network (NCN) and the Government Information Agency (GINA) on notice that their 2014 budgets can be slashed again.

At a news conference on Friday, October 25 Granger told reporters that the APNU budget cuts are driven by principles and if there are no changes at these two media entities, then the APNU will cut their budget.

“Our cuts are driven by principles and the principle is that state funds must serve the interest of the people of this country and not one set of people and not one political party or one particular group. So these are not reckless cuts, these are carefully discussed,” Granger said.

The Opposition Leader noted that to date, his Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge has not been invited by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh to “hammer out the framework on the 2014 budget.”

According to Granger, “A budget is not an episodic evident, it is continuous because we have programs that run from year to year…that is why from the 1^st December we have called on the President to establish a tripartite committee to plan for the whole five year parliament, the whole life of this 10^th Parliament.”

The Opposition Leader noted that the APNU does not set out to cut the budget. “The APNU sets out to have a budget which satisfies the development needs of the country and the human needs of the population. We make recommendations.  We don’t like cutting but we recommend policies,” Granger told the news conference.