By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman on Friday evening launched a scathing attack on the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition over the stance the Party took on several issues.
Trotman, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, wasted no time in debunking Opposition claims of ethnic cleansing and truncation of the consideration of estimates.
The PPP alleged that the coalition government may have something to hide after Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo moved a motion to limit the considerations to three days.
“For all the years that I was here…we always had the estimates considered in three days…the (former) Opposition had to move a motion to have the estimates extended…there is no fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh day…the opposition had only three days to consider the motion.”
On claims of ethnic cleansing, Trotman argued that in governments all over the world, changes are made whenever there is a regime change hence the dismissals of public servants should be of no alarm.
“There is no government in the world; Moscow, Washington, New Delhi that doesn’t move people when they take over…it is a must…we reject this notion that to touch anyone is to cleanse,” Trotman said.
The Opposition, while claiming that the APNU-AFC budget is a carbon copy of PPP plans, has been very critical of the government’s $221B budget, something which Trotman debunked.
“You can’t suck cane and blow whistle at the same time; it is either we copy your good budget or the budget bad…One side has to win…and one side has to lose…your kingdom has been handed to the APNU+AFC,” he stated.
The Minister also stated that the new government welcomes the elections petition filed by the PPP opposition, nothing it will show that the current government won the elections by more than the 4,500 votes as released by the Guyana Elections Commission.
That’s funny rasheed!!
I am no fan of PPP/C but I will say this ruling collation government was-Installed with the most barefaced politicians in Parliament representing themselves. Do anyone think these people that are ruling cares for citizens of Guyana? If you do then you are a dreamer.
well said Hon Minister!i love it,you showed the PEPEEEPPP what is factual debate.Let them take a page out of your book.They are loosers and will continued to be loosers.The Audit is in progress and your Administration must exposed and jailed the classless thieves.They are so shameless,bitter,dishonest,racist,corrupt and childish just to name a few.They cannot come to grip with their defeat and is still taking depression pills,let them go thy way in peace.Long Live the coalation.
So this ass as minister is saying that gecom is lying with the figures what else are they lying about
In all fairness, The Hon. Raphael Trotman delivered what is unarguably the best
presentation thus far in the recent budget debate in parliament. He was not only erudite in his overall presentation but also dignified in his delivery of same… unlike some of the ruffians occupying pole positions on both sides of ‘the circus maximus’ of a parliament in place.
However, most important in Trotman’s remarks was the perilous future facing the rice, sugar, bauxite and gold sectors which he correctly emphasised were all part of the commodities driven economy upon which Guyana was overly reliant upon. He also made mention of the fact that the current global oil price was indeed depressed. The reality is that oil is now below US$40.00 per barrel with predictions that it could go as low as US$20.00 per barrel which many are blaming on China’s weak demand.
However, this means that not only China’s current weak demand but also that US shale production is up as well coupled with OPEC’s refusal to cut production to shore up prices.
This is simple economics in terms of ‘supply versus demand’ whereby we have a lot of crude but enough demand. What does this mean for Guyana’s nascent oi?l This was being hailed as the vehicle to get us out of poverty and in some political circles within the Ministry of the Presidency as ‘the staff of Moses’?
The reality is that Exxon-Mobil has had to cap the new well and focus on keeping their existing businesses solvent because as it stands very soon the price of oil on the global commodities market could very well be reaching a point where the costs of production is more than going market prices. This will be a case of sugar in the context of oil.
Exxon-Mobil is accountable to its Chairman and the Board and in turn to their shareholders so they will be acting prudently to shore up their share prices because they are a
publicly traded corporation and shareholders are an unforgiving lot. This is not GUYSUCO or GPL.
President Granger and Minister of Finance Winston Jordan must be forthcoming to the nation in explaining in simple, credible terms just how do they intend to finance these huge expenditures mentioned over the past 100 days with the economic prospects for Guyana looking so dim at present. Where is the income to support these ‘pork barrel projects’ they have embarked upon?
The Leader of the Opposition – Bharat Jagdeo raised a key concern about what was being done to address the fading fortunes of the rice sector which as we all know is on the precipice of an imminent collapse. In last few weeks, farmers have had to collect their rice that was ready for
export to Venezuela under the Petro Caribe deal that comes to a grinding halt
come November this year .
No one in the government is helping the farmers to find new markets and so they are left basically to their own – we are talking here about the impending collapse of and devastation of an important sector of our economy which will lead to serious social discontent and possible disorder. Is this what President Granger and his lost battalion hell bent on courting
when the bottom of the barrel falls of?
mr trotman, while we are here is here , one question, where is jenifer ,where she gone, …..i am going to write a song, 600 milion, missing, bring back 6 cars, or 8, is it, and wakng free, some thing is wrong, fix it,
These debates have more name calling that substance. The coalition has to stop reacting to the opposition and just focus on the task of nation building.
This walk out has to be stopped. CUT THEIR PAY.
Pass some rules of parliment that would allow for them sitting thorough out the particular sittings or debate.
I fed up with this madness