‘The ordinary people are seeing benefits’ – MP Pearson-Fredericks
– as she commends budget 2025
Successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic government budgets have seen Guyanese benefit tremendously from the many development projects geared at improving lives.
Member of Parliament (MP) Yvonne Pearson-Fredericks made the assertion as she defended and commended the government’s $1.38 trillion budget.
MP Pearson-Fredericks debunked several contentions touted by the opposition in its presentations such as Guyanese are “poorer” under the PPP/C government and the Indigenous communities are not seeing development under this administration.
The MP spoke of the multiple job opportunities being created nationwide, the investments in infrastructure, health, education and various social programmes that address the immediate and long-term needs of the people.
“The opposition has said that the government is reckless in its spending. If addressing the needs of the people and the things that are affecting people, like the construction of schools and roads and assistance for farmers is deemed recklessness…then I think we would like to see more recklessness,” she said.
MP Pearson-Fredericks also clarified that the Indigenous people are thriving under the PPP/C government, as they have seen significant development and have much coming their way in the coming months.
She criticised the opposition’s failure to fulfill its manifesto promises to the same ‘ordinary Guyanese’ they claim to represent, during its time in office.
“If the APNU+AFC record was so good and they did so many good things for the Guyanese people, how come they are in opposition?” she questioned.
The member of parliament noted that under the PPP/C government, the land titling programme continues at a steady pace.
“When the PPP/C left office in 2015, funds were there to continue Amerindian Land Titling. In May 2018, an APNU+AFC minister said they were unable to title any village. The APNU+AFC promised to address the Amerindian Land Titling in its manifesto. They failed,” she reminded the house.
The ministry was able to grant more than 20 villages the legal documents for their land over the last four years, representing the government’s commitment to Amerindian land tenure.
The budget also contains $7.2 billion earmarked for Amerindian development, excluding revenues from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 Carbon Credit programme.
This allocation will bolster several key initiatives. It includes $650 million to accelerate Amerindian land titling activities, $1.5 billion to support more than 2,700 Community Service Officers (CSOs) and $5 billion to fund economic, ecotourism, agricultural and infrastructural initiatives.
“We the PPP/C reach out to the total population of Guyana. The PPP/C reaches the utmost ends of this country. I see no reason why we should not support budget 2025. On behalf of the Amerindian people of this country and the ordinary people, we support budget 2025,” MP Pearson-Fredericks declared.