The debate over Guyana’s 2024 budget allocation took a turn toward sports on Tuesday, with Opposition Member of Parliament Nima Flue-Bess raising questions about what she perceives as ‘incomplete’ sports projects.
Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jr responded, criticizing the opposition for their alleged lack of vision during their time in government and emphasizing that these projects are multi-year initiatives.
Flue-Bess sought answers regarding the status of projects that were budgeted for but remain incomplete.
She also inquired about the completion of the Sport policy last year, a matter addressed by Minister Ramson during the 2023 review.
Ramson assured the Parliament that the Sport policy document would be tabled in the first quarter of the current year.
Minister Ramson acknowledged that while sport facilities have been a point of contention, the PPP/C government is committed to revolutionizing the sports culture by constructing world-class facilities, which take time to complete.
He criticized the previous coalition government’s decision to reduce expenditure for maintaining community grounds, highlighting that the government is now investing hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade 350 grounds across the country.
Ramson outlined the government’s initiatives, including setting up international standard lights at various locations and implementing world-class drainage at multipurpose grounds under construction.
The completion of synthetic grounds in Linden and Berbice is also slated for this year.
As the debate continues, both sides present their perspectives on sports budget allocations, addressing concerns about incomplete projects and outlining future plans for the development of sports facilities in Guyana.