Honourable Shurwayne Holder, Shadow Minister of Natural Resources joined his colleagues in arguing in opposition to the proposed budget. Holder noted that the government’s infatuation with Guyana’s Oil and Gas sector “the new girl”, is evident in the neglect faced by other areas of the Natural Resources and Gold Industry.
Holder underscored that the Gold Industry “still accounts for 6%- 8% of the non-oil GDP and 60% -70% of the non-oil exports”, he regrettably noted that there has been a 50% decline in gold declarations from local small to medium gold mining companies. Further, he stated that there has been a 70% decline in large-scale operations and a drastic decline in the production and exportation of Bauxite.
Hon Shurwayne stated that the “crisis of the oil and gas industry” is simply put “unpatriotic” as “Government’s love of secrecy is toxic”. Mr. Holder posited that “Budget 2024 is a colossal failure and does not address the immediate needs of our people”.