Senator Peyrefitte Criticizes Supplemental Budget Items

Michael Peyrefitte

Lead Senator for the Opposition, Michael Peyrefitte, criticized the Briceño Administration for presenting a third supplementary budget in less than five months. Peyrefitte accused G.O.B. of lacking the creativity and ideas needed to rebuild the economy. He also alleged this supplementary budget is “one last hustle before the next budget is read.”

Michael Peyrefitte, Lead U.D.P.  Senator

“Nothing he said in his preamble to try and disarm us will change the fact that we were here in October for a supplementary budget. We were here in December for a supplementary budget, and now we are here in February with a supplementary budget, asking the people for seventy million dollars. You could dance around it and try to pre-empt it with an explanation that should have been saved for winding up the debate and response and everything. But listen, the numbers don’t lie and the intent of the Government cannot be hidden. When you look Madam President, general administration, personal emoluments for the D.P.P.  office, a hundred and sixty seven thousand dollars, for what? You didn’t know that in December? And if they wah come with scratch records Madam President, then the music have to scratch. Because, if you show no creativity and no new ways of growing the economy like the current Prime Minister criticized the previous Prime Minster for not doing, then you are going to hear the same thing as well. You have personal emoluments, you can’t give the people their ten percent back, you can’t give people their pay, but you can hire more people. Ministry of Finance, general administration, weh that? You talk about explanation in great detail, two hundred thousand for general administration of the Ministry of Finance? Central Information Technology, is that the 365? One million four hundred and thirty one thousand seven hundred and thirty three thousand, when you already have four million four hundred and sixty six thousand one hundred and eighty one dollars. What you need an additional one million dollars for?”