Senate Debates Budget 2020-2021

Mark Lizarraga

Social partner senators Mark Lizarraga and Elena Smith, along with U.D.P. Senator Doctor Carla Barnett, also shared their views on certain sections of the Prime Minister’s budget. Senators are calling for a complete redo of the budget in light of COVID-19.

Mark Lizarraga, Senator for Private Sector

“Let’s talk a little bit about the economy and this economic hurricane that is about to make landfall, Mr. President, I stand to be corrected, but I think the IMF made funds available to the tune of one trillion or huge amount of money. If I am not mistaking, from September for COVID. We watched this thing as it exploded in China. And Certainly Mr. President by January of this year for those of us that were paying attention knew that this coronavirus was fast approaching a pandemic that could contribute to health and economic and social crisis through the world. It is a shame Mr. President that we had sufficient notice to redraft for the new priorities that we need today. This budget could have been redrafted to reflect our needs and it was not.”

Elena Smith

Elena Smith, Senator for Unions

“We are of the opinion of going forward the whole budget needs to be retooled and which we are curtained will happen. Emergency supplementary reallocation must happen. Again we heard some being put in place. This includes retooling the current expenditures and the CAP two and three expenditures, the focus must now be on immediate and short term relief as well as the recovery of the 2020-2021 fiscal year and beyond.”

Carla Barnett

Dr. Carla Barnett, U.D.P. Senator

“This is a budget we have all accepted has no meaning because of the basis on which the budget was prepared has changed totally with what has happened. Estimate of revenue have changed. Profile of revenue has to change and there are a range of social problems that we have to deal with arising from the situation that we are in.”