PRESS BRIEFING
Wednesday, 31 March 2004

AGENDA

1. CONTRACTS

2. BUDGET 2004

3. COUNTY CONFERENCE PRS:
PROGRESS REPORT

4. COMMUNITY SECURITY

5. CEMENT SHORTAGES

BUDGET 2004

$75.6 B GYD = $400 M USD - BUDGET

FOCUS: SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The point is the Quality of Growth rather than growth in simple numerical terms.

Sustainable growth will be recognised in the new Development Programmes being planned and implemented

* EDUCATION - $14.5 B GYD =4% GDP

* HEALTH - $6.7 B GYD = 4.5% GDP

* HOUSING & WATER - 41.4 B GYD +
1.5 B GYD = 2%

* TOTAL $24 B GYD = 16%GDP

Social Development is the Priority of all Priorities.
2 Infrastructure Projects:

* Rehabilitation of the M/ca Rosignol Road

* 4 Lane Highway

* Rehabilitation of West Demerara

* 4.3 B GYD in rehabilitation of roads, Housing and Budget

* River & Sea Defence $9.55 M GYD

COUNTY CONFERENCES

Four County Conferences will be a major highlight of the Public Consultation on the Progress Report 2002 - 2003- Implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy on Friday, April 2, 2004 will be held.

The Berbice Conference will be at Tain Campus of the University of Guyana.

Ministers attending included Dr. Dale Bisnauth, Bibi Safora Shadick, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Clinton Collymore.

The Essequibo Conference will be at Anna Regina Town Hall.

Ministers attending included Dr. Dale Bisnauth, Bibi Safora Shadick, Manzoor Nadir and Dr. Henry Jeffrey.

The Georgetown and Linden Conference will be on Saturday, April 3, 2004.

In Georgetown at Ocean View International Hotel, Ministers attending included Gail Teixeira, Reepu Daman Persaud, Dr. Jennifer Westford and Saisnarine Kowlessar.
In Linden at the Constabulary Hall, Ministers attending included Anthony Xavier, Carolyn Rodrigues and Shaik Baksh and the Prime Minister.
Feedback from those conferences will be compiled with feed back from target groups and other respondents and used to finalise the draft Progress Report.

COMMUNITY SECURITY
Cabinet noted developments since it last meeting.

Cabinet noted with much concern the increasing resort of the bandits to sexual assault.

Cabinet’s view was this was TERROR, a cold calculated move to torment individuals, families and communities.

Cabinet viewed these recent developments as part of a campaign to designed QUICKLY heighten social tension in the farce of lack lustre public responses to the Opposition’s PNCR machinations.
The sickness of that approach lies in the most likely negative reactions by the members of these besieged communities to the appeal of the Opposition PNCR being made at the same time.

CEMENT SHORTAGES
Cabinet noted the continuing shortage of cement in the country and recognised the implication of the shortages of building/construction materials in the context of the large Infrastructure Development Projects of 2004.

Propoer material management would ensure that rate of procurement of the needed building matched the rate of utilisation with an appropriate size of reserve in the inventory.

The supply of cement on the local market was not being done in accordance with sound material management.

2
The supply within the Region was insufficient.

Cabinet noted the response by importers to the waiver of CET on externally produced cement and concluded that so far the response did not lead to significant improvement.

Cabinet called for greater efforts to promote faster imports from extra regional sources.

CONTRACTS

Cabinet offered its no-objection to the following contracts being awarded:-

Additional emergency Repairs to the Corentyne Comprehensive High School - SSRP G$24,827,365.00

INFRASTRUCTURE
WORKS
Rehabilitation and Extension to West Watooka Road, Wismar, Linden - Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP)
G$31,291,700.00