In June 2007 Stabroek Business was informed by Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana His Excellency Arthur Meyer that the bridge across the Takutu river would be completed in January 2008. We are now in January 2008 and even allowing for the delays that can sometimes arise with projects of this nature it is reasonable to assume that the bridge is now on the verge of completion.
Those of us on this side of the river have set much store by the completion of the bridge even though its fullest benefits can only be realized when the road linking the bridge to coastal Guyana is completed. Even now, however, there is good reason to be excited about this development. Brazil is one of the ten largest economies in the world with a population of more than 185 million people. If Guyana can secure just a small proportion of that market for its agricultural and manufactured goods, such access can make a major difference to the country’s economy. And quite apart from the implications of the road link for trade between the two countries, the possibilities for deepening cooperation in areas such as science and technology, agricultural research, culture and education loom large. These apart, the road link will offer Guyana easier access to the rest of South America and to the various economic and other opportunities that inhere in that access.
Several issues arise from what, one assumes, is the impending full completion of the Guyana/Brazil road link. We can, in the first instance, speculate on the pros and cons of a small country like Guyana being opened up suddenly to an accelerated flow of goods and people from a large neighbouring country and the effect that movement of that magnitude will have on the host population. There are those who will argue that even without the benefit of proper road links movement across the country’s borders – illegal movement, that is – has done us more harm than good. There are those, on the other hand who will see the regularization of traffic between Guyana and Brazil as a historic opportunity for Guyana. On balance – and notwithstanding the fact that a full-fledged road link is bound to bring its own challenges – the latter argument appears to be the sounder one.
In the circumstances – and with the completion of the Takutu Bridge apparently now imminent – it is worth wondering whether Guyana is ready – or anywhere near ready, for that matter – to maximise the opportunity which the road link with Brazil will offer or whether the road will simply feature ‘one way traffic’ of Brazilian goods heading for the Caribbean sea. And what about the other spinoffs for Guyana that will turn on our ability to provide the services that will be needed to sustain the movement of Brazilian goods through Guyana.
Some time ago this newspaper had learnt that Linden was beginning to bestir itself in preparation for the road link. We were told, for example, that Portuguese classes and a Brazilian restaurant were ‘on the cards’ and that the Linden Chamber of Commerce was planning to lead a business delegation to Brazil during the latter part of last year. Not a great deal has been heard of these developments for some time now but with the completion of the bridge now imminent the time has come for us to secure a better understanding of just how prepared Linden is for the road link with Brazil,
The situation as far as the urban private sector is concerned is more complex. Trade ties between Guyana and Brazil have, over the years, been heavily weighted in favour of Brazil with the result that our own private sector has very little experience of doing business with Brazil. The upshot of this has been that the business community here appears reluctant to take the lead in pronouncing on the road link and its implications and appears to prefer to wait to allow the various procedural issues that need to be addressed at the government to government level to be hammered out before making any definitive pronouncements.
While this is probably understandable one expects that the various private sector bodies across the country would, by now, have the Guyana-Brazil road link high on their respective agendas since we can hardly afford – after several years of waiting – to have a private sector that is not in a state of readiness when the road link is finally completed. Moreover, it may, perhaps, have been a good idea for the Private Sector Commission or the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce – or both – to ‘put together’ a trip, at least to Bon Fim to enable businessmen here to better understand the Brazilian business culture.
It will of course be some time before the first wave of traffic flows across the Takutu Bridge in either direction to be subjected to the various customs and other procedures that will attend the road link; and in the meantime state agencies like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Customs Administration will have to put in place the relevant mechanisms to administer the traffic and to handle the increased levels of bilateral cooperation that will develop between Guyana and Brazil.
If it is difficult to put a time frame on the full and final completion of the road and the formal opening of the Takutu Bridge, it is entirely reasonable to assume that the time cannot now be too far away. And given the level of socio-economic importance of the road link, it is worth making the point – again – about the importance of Guyana being ready for this development.
