On day three of the 2024 National Budget Debates, newly appointed Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Vinceroy Jordon, began his presentation by stating his dissatisfaction with the budget allocations.
He criticized the government’s ritual of pumping money into the sugar industry and encouraged them to desist. He revealed that the current Minister of Agriculture has lowered the target numbers for sugar production, to allow the Corporation and himself to say that the projected yield amounts have been surpassed.
These claims were dismissed by the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha.
Jordon also accused the Government of scarcely maintaining the roads and infrastructure in many villages in Region Five, including Burma, Belladrum, Lovely-lass, Kingsley, and many others.
He pleaded with the Minister of Education to initiate plans to rehabilitate the schools in the area, as many of them are unfit. Jordon spoke of a school in Burma that needs serious repairs and may need to be rebuilt.
The Shadow Minister contested the Government’s claim of building a modern hospital in Bath Settlement, West Coast Demerara.
He outlined this is misleading to the Guyanese people, as the hospital is not in that village. Instead, it is reportedly located in a village named Fort Wellington.