Public Face
Every so often, a story is told or a report appears in the media about public-private partnerships. Indeed, the administration often refers to the construction of the bridge across the Berbice River as resulting from such an arrangement. Apart from Amaila Falls, it is not quite clear which other projects that have been undertaken or that are currently being undertaken fit the public-private partnership model, even though the Marriott Hotel and specialty hospital projects remain stuck in one’s head. Comments on the need for new or upgraded public infrastructure in Guyana often suggest that the development and maintenance of infrastructure should combine public and private money and management for better results.
Very often the politicians are the public face of this development model. Yet, no one could be sure, except those persons privy to what is going on, who might be behind the idea of using public-private partnerships for a particular project. With the administration and some members of the private sector enamored with public-private partnerships,