Ramkarran: Flexibility required on implementation of 100-day promises –but says Gov’t should deliver

GUYANA CHRONICLE JUNE 16, 2015

WITH just over a month in power, the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government is already under scrutiny for the implementation of pre-elections promises.Most of the critical comments on the need for implementation have been made on social media. Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran said while expectations would be high, some flexibility would be expected on the part of the populace. The APNU+AFC coalition had promised to implement a range of measures in the first 100 days in office. These include reduction of the Berbice Bridge toll; significant increases for Government workers; significant increases in Old Age Pension; reduction of the President’s Pension and other benefits; establishment of passport and birth certificate licensing offices in Berbice, Essequibo and Linden; return of television station to Linden; waiving of duties on fuel, foods and small mining equipment bought by identifiable miners of small concessions; and the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission. Ramkarran said realistically speaking, it will be a challenge for the new Government to achieve all it said it will do in the first 100 days in office, but it should strive to achieve as much as it can within that timeframe.

Corruption The former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive however reminded that the APNU+AFC during the campaign, spoke about the cancer of corruption, and the need to root it out. This, he said, is one of the things many Guyanese want to see the new Government do, and at least, in the first 100 days in office, it should take tangible steps in addressing this scourge. Ramkarran had resigned from the PPP/C after he was hauled over the coals for penning an article on corruption.

Apart from aggressively tackling corruption, which include revisiting alleged ‘cozy deals’, the former Speaker said the putting of systems in place to steady the rice and sugar industries and the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission should also happen in the first 100 days of the new Administration. In 2000, the Public Procurement Commission was recommended by the Constitution Reform Commission as a Constitutional Commission, and the amendments to the Constitution were made in 2002. The objective of the commission was to reduce or prevent corruption in procurement, given the growing allegations. The Constitution provides that the purpose of the Commission is to monitor procurement and the procedure to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and the execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent and cost effective manner. The functions of the Commission are widespread. These include monitoring and reviewing all procurement systems; procedures of ministerial, regional and national procurement entities and project execution units; monitor performance with respect to adherence of regulations and efficiency in procuring goods and services and execution or works; investigate complaints; investigate irregularities; initiate investigations among others. The Commission was never established due to differences between the PPP/C, which was in Government at the time, and the APNU and AFC, which made up the Opposition. Challenge Ramkarran also pointed out that it will be a challenge for the Government to reduce VAT and offer concessions to small miners and at the same time offer significant increase in salaries to public servants. This, he said, is the prevailing reality. President David Granger, at the opening of the 11th Parliament, the Government will ensure that, as a general rule, people who are paid only the national minimum wage will not be required to pay income tax. “We shall ensure, also, that there will be no increases in income tax rates, value-added tax or national insurance contributions for this financial year (2015). There will be moderate increases, however, in salaries paid to public servants and pensions paid to seniors,” the President said. The Administration has already commenced work on the delivery on the 100-day promises, and according to Ramkarran, though the coalition might not be able to fulfill all it said it will do within that timeframe, it should strive to fulfill all the promises it has made at the earliest. The Administration has also indicated that the high expectations should be moderated, but Ramkarran said while this would be justifiable so for now, it is important that the Government keep to what it says it will do. Meanwhile, there have been criticisms that the new Government lacks gender balance and youth. Ramkarran said most likely the APNU+AFC leadership would address these issues in due time, but nevertheless noted that they should be reminded of striving for gender balance and having a vibrant youth presence.