$54.9 billion in supplementary spending approved as opposition protest sidelines debate

The National Assembly on Monday approved G$54.89 billion in supplementary spending, including funding for the Gas-to-Energy Project, housing and road infrastructure, and retroactive payments for Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers, after opposition lawmakers declined to question the measures as they protested the government’s handling of the MV Barima disaster. The supplementary financial papers, comprising G$50.14 billion in capital expenditure and G$4.75 billion in current expenditure, were approved without supplementary questions as opposition Members of Parliament remained on the floor of the chamber chanting and pounding their desks. The largest allocation, G$19.09 billion, was approved for the Office of the Prime Minister, primarily to support the government’s Gas-to-Energy Project. Another G$17.5 billion was approved for the Ministry of Housing and Water to support its accelerated housing and infrastructure programme. The Ministry of Agriculture received G$8.3 billion, including G$3 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation, part of which will finance retroactive payments to workers, G$807.5 million for the Guyana Rice Development Board, and G$4.5 billion for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority. Another G$8.5 billion was approved for the Ministry of Public Works, including G$6 billion for roads and drainage works and G$2.5 billion for hinterland roads. Additional allocations included G$1.1 billion under the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation for coastal airstrip maintenance and water supply interventions, G$337.95 million for the Ministry of Health to support regional and clinical services, and G$60 million for the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The supplementary allocations were approved six months after Parliament passed Guyana’s record G$1.558 trillion (about US$7.45 billion) national budget, the largest in the country’s history. Monday’s sitting was repeatedly disrupted as opposition MPs protested over the MV Barima disaster, demanding the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and former Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar. Earlier in the sitting, opposition members declined to ask oral questions listed on the Order Paper, allowing ministers to table written responses without supplementary questions before the Assembly proceeded to approve the supplementary spending.