Government’s budget not focused on the people, says Golding

By Lorraine Mendez   

Opposition Leader Mark Golding used the first part of his contribution to the Budget Debate to continue criticising the budget for the 2024/25 fiscal year as presented by Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke in the House of Representatives last Tuesday.

In his budget presentation in the Lower House on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Golding continued where Shadow Finance Minister Julian Robinson left off last Thursday in the opposition’s attempt to pick apart the budget.

According to Mr. Golding, the government’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year is not grounded in a vision of development of the people, adding that frustrations and hopelessness among the majority of the populace will continue to grow. 

“According to their economic model, something will trickle down to the farmer, the teacher, the nurse and the sanitation worker, the hairdresser and the taximan. After eight years, they want Jamaicans to wait even longer for the trickle that might come,” he asserted. 

Mr. Golding also identified elements of Dr. Clarke’s presentation that he claims are not new, including announcements of the construction of a new six-storey university hospital, adjusted customs duty charges and plans to bring in new garbage trucks and Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses.

But even while these plans might be upcoming, the Opposition Leader argued that “Jamaicans are crying that times are too hard, the cost of living is too high and their wages are too low.”

“Young people are crying out for opportunities to further their education, and for better job options. Citizens are crying ‘no’ to corruption and deception, and ‘yes’ to transparency and truth.”      

Mr. Golding also sought to remind of what he terms “broken promises” of the current Andrew Holness-led administration, including five per cent growth in four years and fixed election dates.

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