The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Thursday accused the Government of flip-flopping on the question of an increase in the tolls for the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
On Wednesday Stabroek News reported that the state-owned Guyana Chronicle reported a day earlier that cabinet had approved “slight” increases in tolls for motor cycles and cars. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure later said that there was a proposal before Cabinet but a decision was still to be made.
At a press conference on Thursday held at the party’s headquarters, PPP/C Member of Parliament Juan Edghill told the media that there seems to be some amount of flip-flopping. “There will be the announcing and then the denial. We saw it with the salary increases (for Cabinet ministers).”
He referred to Hansard, the official report of Parliament, where he said he had quizzed Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and he had subsequently denied that there was a plan for an increase. “In February when the Minister, which is Minister for Public Infrastructure sought $150 million at the National Assembly during the consideration of the estimates it became a heated exchange where I was even accused of calling the Minister a liar,” Edghill said.
“When the specific question was asked, is there a proposal for the increase in the tolls a reading of the Hansard on three occasions denied that there is any increase and even went on to say that there is no Cabinet paper of such”, Edghill stated.
According to Edghill, they saw a newspaper report where there was a denial from the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Ministry. “…Well if there is no conclusion to the matter in the pipeline did the wrong person make the announcement?”
He went on to say, “So we are left confused. It will appear that either we are not being told the truth or one segment of the Government don’t seem to be aware of what is happening or there is a tendency to deny when confronted with the reality and then you have to backpedal like what happened with the issue of the salary increase.”
The proposed toll increase, he charged was meant to punish the lower class. “Increase of the toll it would appear that they are targeting only the lower level of society at 100% increase. You might want to talk about…20 to 40 or 100 to 200 but it is a 100% increase and the people from regions 3, 2 and 7 who are some of the main users of the bridge can tell you that the man with the motorcycle from Parfait Harmonie or Tuschen who just built his home…he is feeling the brunt.”
He added that “I don’t think we (PPP) have taken the position to say that there must be no increase. I don’t think we have but we would like to hear all the considerations,” he said.
In a video clip laying the foundation for an increase in tolls, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that with the doubling of the toll for a motor car, “you would hear the shout that bridge increase by 100%. Now it’s not the percent. The question that you need to place on the table is that unless you have a cost recovery you will not be able to maintain this bridge or any other bridge and you might as well start doing it now, be frank and upright with the Guyanese people to let them know that if we want the better life and the better convenience then we are gonna have to pay a little more for that”.
A government official told Stabroek News on Wednesday that a date has not been identified for toll adjustments to be implemented but it is “expected that this will be done in the second half of the year”.
