Introduction
If, as I observed in last week’s column, removing the unrelenting glare of public scrutiny from government spending is a certain recipe for the entrenchment of waste and inefficiency, then one important corollary follows. That is, the need to make public scrutiny as effective as possible. Conscious readers therefore, have a responsibility to make a good faith effort to grasp the “basic tools” that are required to effectively appraise government investment management and decision-making in Guyana. Without this, the country runs a high risk of serious resource mis-allocation.
To appreciate this observation one only has to contemplate the billions of taxpayers’ dollars already committed to disputed investments such as: the Marriott Hotel, Amaila Falls Hydro Project, Cheddi Jagan International Airport renovation,