Dear Editor,
As Guyana approaches its general election on May 11, I would like to share some views with my fellow Guyanese as to why a APNU+AFC led Govt. offers the best hope to get the country out of stagnation and corruption and back on the road to development.
Lest my political persuasion be misunderstood, my parents were lifelong supporters of the PPP while I was empathetic to the Party for much of the past century. During the 1950’s whenever the PPP held their meetings at Pln. Albion, the platform of our home was the stage from which the late Dr.Cheddi Jagan spoke to supporters.
Over the years Dr. Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet were considered honest politicians who never forgot their humble roots and cared for the poor and disadvantaged. They experienced the evils of colonialism and fought relentlessly to dismantle the system which they did in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, Dr. Jagan made some bad political judgements which caused him to be out-manoeuvred from political power. He was returned to power in 1992.
After his death, the PPP-led Govt. chose their then Finance Minister, Bharrat Jagdeo as President. He quickly became a shrewd and oligarchic President who quelled all opposition and manipulated the wealth and power of the state which became concentrated in his hands and those of an elite core of family and friends. In the absence of an effective opposition to challenge him, he had an almost free rein in ruling the country until his mandatory second term of governing ended when he was given a handsome pension which he personally packaged and got approved by his PPP/C majority in Parliament. It is this lavish goody at the people’s expense which he so much enjoys as well as behind the scenes efforts to keep the PPP/C Govt. in power that he is working so hard to preserve.
The PPP/C Govt. first under President Jagdeo and later President Ramotar initiated a number of projects none of which has been completed to date. The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) was started by former President Jagdeo who had assured Guyanese that the project would have been completed and supplying electricity to the coastland before he demitted office. The Project went nowhere under him and his successor President Ramotar has been keeping AFHP alive by seeking funding for its construction by claiming it is the panacea for cheap electricity, development and job creation. As a show of confidence to investors the govt. proceeded to construct an access road costing over US$30 million. Unfortunately the road when completed at taxpayers’ expense will be serving no immediate useful purpose but will continue to burden Guyanese with high maintenance costs until such time that AFHP becomes a reality. The Moco Moco hydro-plant to supply electricity to the Rupununi District suffered from the faulty installation of a penstock which made the facility inoperable. Instead of getting the plant repaired, the PPP/C Govt. neglected it and allowed the equipment to be vandalized beyond repairs. The Skeldon Sugar Factory and reform project was installed at a cost of over US$200 million. Since construction, the complex has failed to produce its designed output as it suffered from regular break-downs and lack of raw material (sugar cane). The East Bank and East Coast highways under construction should have been completed two years ago but mis-management and poor oversight continue to plague these projects. The Hope Canal costing over US$28 million to relieve floodwater from the East Demerara Conservancy is still under construction although it should have been completed years ago. This project displaced hundreds of farmers at Hope/Dochfour who are still awaiting reasonable compensation for their lands compulsorily taken away from them to build the Canal as well as the promise to construct ancillary drainage and irrigation works to enable them to cultivate what’s left of their farms.
The Marriott Hotel which should have been ready to admit guests a year ago was only opened last week although it is not fully completed. The CJIA upgrade costing over US$150 million will be a ‘white elephant’ (except the runway extension) when completed as the projected throughput of passengers and cargo will take years to achieve. Therefore much of the unused infrastructure will require expensive maintenance as Guyanese struggle with funding their upkeep as well as debt servicing. All these projects have large time and costs overruns which the PPP/C Govt. is not disclosing so there is no success story they could present to voters who should be told where the revenue will come from to pay the subsidies necessary for these projects.
GuySuCo is producing sugar at a cost of over $40/lb while the world price is under $26/lb. The PPP/C Govt. has no strategic plan to reduce production costs nor halt decline of the industry only promises of more subsidies to keep the over 16,000 workers employed. Rice farmers have been increasing their production but the industry suffers from unreliable markets and untimely payments to growers.
Under President Jagdeo, the Housing Ministry acquired from GuySuCo a ten- acre choice piece of land north of Plaisance Police Station and south of the sea wall. The land was parceled out for development into housing lots which were only offered to families and friends of the PPP/C at rock-bottom prices. It is at this location where Ex President Jagdeo has built his luxury home. The PPP/C Govt has failed to deliver on its promises and instead lined the pockets of its supporters and friends with Govt’s resources.
As the country heads for the polls the PPP/C Party is once again making hollow promises to voters such as a new power plant for Bartica next year, surfacing the Linden-Rupununi Road, reliable electricity for all and investing $20B to revive the sugar industry by installing co-generating plants at Pln. Albion and other estates to supply electricity to GPL, all fluff to win votes as the country has no money for these investments. It is hoped that voters will see the PPP/C Govt. as one of false promises who has failed them badly.
The PNC has shed much of its excesses of the 1970’s and 1980’s and with an AFC partner providing the checks and balances for better governance, the APNU/AFC Partnership could only improve the well-being and living conditions of all Guyanese. Therefore let us unite and vote to make a change for the better on May 11.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sohan
