$11.2B proposed for constitutional agencies

AS the year draws closer to an end, government will be seeking the National Assembly’s approval of $11.2 billion for constitutional agencies, so that those agencies could be financially equipped to effectively execute their mandates.
The proposed sum, which covers both capital and current expenditures for 16 constitutional agencies, will be tabled when the 12th Parliament convenes on Tuesday.

The country’s last budget, Budget 2019, was passed in December 2018 to the tune $300.7B. And, with the country already eight months into 2020, it is important for a budget to be passed soon. The National Assembly had approved over $11B for the 2019 fiscal year.
The new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government’s proposed budget for constitutional agencies, includes $4,943,052,000 for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM); $1,799,248,000 for Parliament Office; $908,636,000 for the Audit Office of Guyana; $150,636,000 for the Public and Police Service Commission; $117,075,000 for the Teaching Service Commission; and $2,443,164,000 for the Supreme Court.

The proposal also includes $222,822,000 for the Chamber of the Director of Public Prosecution; $70,001,000 for the Office of the Ombudsman; $40,911,000 for the Public Service Appellate Tribunal; $220,802,000 for the Ethnic Relations Commission; and $10,020,000 for the Judicial Service Commission.
Government will also be seeking approval of $24,392,000 for the Indigenous People’s Commission; $25,958,000 for the Human Rights Commission; $46,095,000 for the Rights of the Child Commission; $58,327,000 for the Women and Gender Equality Commission; and $206,460,000 for the Public Procurement Commission.

It was reported recently that Guyana has been without a budget for close to two years and the extraordinary spending that occurred between March 2 and August 2 has left the treasury in an empty state, President Irfaan Ali had said.
According to him, the mismanagement of many State institutions and decision-making processes of Guyana resulted in the tremendous loss of finances, compared to pre-2015.

“We are going to ensure that we do a comprehensive report on every aspect of the economy, every sector, so that the Guyanese population can understand what is taking place,” the President told Newsroom in a recent interview.
Parliament will be convened on Tuesday and the emergency budget will be laid within two weeks. It will focus on making resources available to tackle a number of pressing issues.

“The first few weeks have been used for bringing together the pieces to have a full assessment of the situation, and developing strategies in the emergency budget to address the immediate concerns and needs, as we move towards the planning of a full budget next year,” he said.
He also noted that Vice-President (VP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, will be reading the budget in Parliament, as government continues search for a minister of finance.