Ramesh: Corruption will hurt Budget

FORMER Attorney General Ramesh Law-rence Maharaj warned that unless Government  implements laws to deal with corruption and ensures equal opportunity for all citizens, the population will be denied all the benefits which Prime Minister Patrick Man-ning will outline in the 2003/2004 Budget. The Prime Minister will deliver the Budget presentation today in the House of Repre-sentatives around 2 pm. Maharaj said while he would reserve full comment on the Budget at this time, corruption and lack of equal opportunity were major obstacles to any socio-economic gains contained in the Budget.

The former AG warned the Govern-ment that unless the relevant laws are passed “there will be a lot more waste and a lot more corruption.” Maharaj also said plans by Princes Town and Chaguanas businessmen to shut down their businesses today were “a normal reaction to crime” and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday was fooling himself and the population into believing this was the start of the civil disobedience campaign which he has been calling for and which the United National Congress (UNC) has failed to implement to date. While describing the businessmen’s actions as “totally lawful,” Maharaj declined to say whether or not he supported them. “The country needs to protest about a lot of things,” he said. The former AG also expressed concern about reports of increases in the public debt and its implications for cost of living and unemployment.