People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) presidential candidate Irfaan Ali yesterday said that Region Three will undergo massive infrastructural transformation if he is elected to office.
He spoke of plans for a four-lane high-rise bridge across the Demerara River, the construction of a super highway, development of the waterfront and the establishment of a state-of-the-art medical health facility to a large crowd that congregated at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara. Some of those plans are already in train under the current government.
Ali is seeking to become president even as he is currently facing 19 fraud charges over the allocation of house lots to fellow Cabinet members and other persons in the Pradoville 2 Housing Scheme during his tenure as Housing Minister. The basis of the charges is that the lands were sold far below market value. The presidential candidate has also been dogged by questions about the authenticity of his academic qualifications.
He told the crowd yesterday that his government will rebuild and expand the infrastructural landscape in Region Three. He said that persons cannot continue to spend two and half hours to get to work if they are travelling from the West Demerara. Too many productive hours are wasted on the commute and his government, should they win the March 2 regional and general elections, will change that, said Ali.
“We cannot use five hours per day traveling to get to work. If five persons travel in a car per day that is over 20 hours … we lose per day of productive time. We have to change this. That is why we are not talking about this new highway we built,” Ali said. “We are going to commence work on building and ensuring that the future brings to you a new super highway along the west coast and west bank. It is this superhighway that will be connected to a four lane high-rise bridge across the Demerara (River) that will take you to work faster,” Ali said, to loud cheers.
He added that with such infrastructure in place, new areas for commerce, agricultural, homeownership and industrialisation will open up.
“It is this super highway that will open up thousands more acres of land for housing, agriculture and industrial development. It is this transformation that will create the new wave of growth and development in Region Three and we are going to do it together after March 2,” he said to resounding applause.
Ali told supporters that his government will also embark on linking Region Three to Region Seven through the construction of the Del Conte road connecting Parika and the hinterland communities via Bartica. He stated that this was the vision of the late Dr Cheddi Jagan and they will fulfill it.
“…We are going to realise the dream of the late Dr Cheddi Jagan when we complete the Del Conte road from Parika to Bartica. We are going to link Region Three with Region Seven and link agriculture to mining and create a strong vibrant and resilient economy for you here,” Ali said.
He also told farmers that opportunities will be created for them to access larger markets to export their produce.
“We will bring investment export-oriented facilities for the first time right here in Region Three…those facilities will have international certification so you can have access to higher paying markets and get into that $10 billion CARICOM food market. These are the things that will bring real changes and new opportunities. Our focus is on the future and all must be winners in the development pathway,” Ali told the gathering.
Turning his attention to the retrenched sugar workers, Ali said that workers will benefit from transitional support. He lashed out at the government for only now considering land allocation to the sugar workers. Ali said his party has been lobbying since the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate at the end of 2016 for lands that were used for growing sugar cane to be given to the workers.
“When this government close Wales Estate, we told them that the land at Wales must go to the people but they took the land [and] give it to one of their lobbyist. Now they are coming today to give farmers lands but you not going to get what they have stolen from you but you are going to get transitional support until you can get on your feet again,” Ali declared in his almost hour-long address.
Special grants
The presidential candidate announced further that his government will put plans in place for farmers to have access to special grants and have low interest rates on loans borrowed for capital investment. He also stated that the region will see the establishment of agro-processing facilities that would further add value to farmers’ produce.
Ali added that under the past PPP government, they had spent millions upgrading health facilities in the region and he promised further improvements should they return to government.
“After March, we will construct a state-of-the-art regional hospital here in Region Three. We are going to reinvest in ensuring that health facilities are adequately staffed [so] that they are never out of medical supplies. You are not going to be told Panadol is the only treatment they have. You will be having access to a world-class health facility,” according to Ali.
He also told the crowd that his government will ensure that the housing drive he led while he was Minister of Housing, returns and persons’ dreams of becoming a home owner will be reality.
“We started a housing programme [in the last PPP government and we will] continue the expansion of it. All those people who have had lands and were waiting for the infrastructure to be put and are now being told that they will seize it, we will fix it…We are going to start building again, you are going to have the dream of home ownership once more and housing will be affordable. Interest rates will come down and taxes on building materials will be removed,” Ali promised.
He also announced to the crowd that they will see new waterfront opportunities both on the Demerara River and at Parika under his government. “We have to focus on new opportunities coming our way and we have to have a waterfront development for the Demerara River west side and Parika and ensure the people in Region Three are connected to waterfront development and benefit. The private sector must be involved and get the opportunity that exist on the west side,” Ali said.
He also spoke of a stronger local content development policy for oil and gas and told the crowd that his government will create opportunities for persons to benefit from the sector.
