Dear Editor,
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is quoted in the press as saying that “Government could buy out the Berbice Bridge”. Editor, I think the Government of Guyana should not bail out the business of Mr Jagdeo’s best friend, who remains the principal ordinary shareholder. Mr Jagdeo is one of the principal sources of the problem and has made very little effort to arrive at a solution.
This bridge was constructed under Jagdeo’s watch with the grand promise of bringing relief to the ordinary people, but instead it has become a financial millstone around the neck of the working class. Even the Berbice business community has rejected the business model that generates an untenable toll of $2,200 per minibus. The people must continue to reject these tolls and show their rejection by using the speedboats in their numbers.
There is no room for economic grandstanding and arrogance from the Berbice River Bridge Company.
The issues are separate and distinct: one, a fully funded political commitment by the Granger/Nagamootoo administration and secondly a business issue that the company claims it faces. Thus they must be dealt with separately and cannot be commingled.
First things first. On the political commitment, the Granger/Nagamootoo government has made it absolutely clear that they are prepared to underwrite the full cost of reducing the tolls as prescribed in the 2015 National Budget, whatever the cost. Once the business opens its book to financial scrutiny, the Ministry of Finance will cut a cheque in favour of the bridge company and deliver it upon the reduction of the toll. That is such an easy situation with such an easy solution and therefore it continues to baffle my mind as to why this company is playing games on this issue.
The bridge company claims that they have a business issue. Well the facts illustrate that they brought this issue to the attention of the PPP government and were ignored. They are now trying to dictate to the new government the sequence of the agenda.
First things first: settle the business with the government on their political promise to the people since it will not cost the company one blind cent. Then re-engage the government on the business issue, which has to be backed up with facts, figures and financial statements.
Yours faithfully,
Sase Singh
