Dear Editor,
Please allow me a response to Aubrey Norton’s letter that appeared in the Kaieteur News of Monday 24th April. The PPP from its inception has been aware that such suspicions would arise naturally in a country with a population composed like ours, and from its beginning, the PPP/PPP/C has been striving to bring together people from all groups in Guyana to work together at building our country. In that process, we would grow and develop ourselves and create the experiences and bonds which would in time be the substance of the overarching sense of being Guyanese of Guyana. It is easy for Norton to make those charges but at significant cost to our people and country as a whole and more so, those that can sap the enthusiasm, initiative and application of their supporters – Afro-Guyanese and others. Those declarations had come to notice on April 12th, and on April 14th on Social Media on the sidelines of the installation of the Local Government Commission, and President Irfaan Ali addressed those charges. In the above mentioned letter, Mr. Norton claims that the President has gone quiet, I checked with the Office of the President but did not find any such submission. Our PPP Government’s programmes for sports, games, playing fields, scholarships, and assistance to small and medium-sized businesses are publicized in the media and available to all our citizens.
Ministers have been going out across the country to bring attention to them. Minister Juan Edghill was in Kwakwani and Linden last week telling about the 20,000 online scholarships and this weekend he and the Minister of the Public Service will be leading teams to those locations to register interests and receive applications. With respect to small and medium scale businesses, the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce, last February held training sessions in Linden for people from 200 plus businesses and are processing 50 plus applications for grants. The fact that Region 10 is largely Afro-Guyanese, overwhelmingly voting for the PNC unto now, has been in no way deterring our provision of what our Government has to our citizens of that Region. Concerning his allegations that this PPP/C Government has been taking away land “legally” acquired by Afro-Guyanese and supporters of the APNU+AFC, the PPP had stated repeatedly that subsequent to the NCM of December 21st, 2018 and more so after March 02, 2020, the Coalition Government had no authority to transact new business. We have put the transactions of that period under review, most have been allowed to continue. This PPP/C Government could not and would not want to take away any properties fully legally acquired. There were a number of sales that were attempted to be completed in a great hurry, with little or no cash transfers and in some cases without the knowledge of the beneficiaries. A number of those beneficiaries have entered a return–reverse and start-over procedure. We are, firstly, for growth and development of all – resolution and regularization, not “take-away” has been the direction of this PPP/C Government.
Mr. Norton raises again the question of the PPP treating bauxite and sugar differently, which I have responded to a number of times before and he paints the proposed short, direct, quick Bartica to Timehri trail link as a bypass of Linden and deemphasizing of the Linden-Lethem road. He ignores completely the publicized costly asphalt surfacing of the Linden-Mabura section which is to commence. Concerning the bauxite issues, we, the PPP/C Government can say again with a clear conscience that we have treated bauxite and bauxite communities equitably. Coming into Office in 1992 we inherited covenants committed to by the outgoing PNC, which in 1994 required us to cease and desist from all Government subsidies to the bauxite sector, and to close it down. The PPP/C did not comply, but violated those covenants and had to find ways that would pass muster, to continue subsidies to the bauxite operations and communities until core-partners for their privatization were found – BOSAI and RUSAL – about the mid-2000s. We regretted the disturbances in Aroaima in 2009 and all that followed, which have brought us today to the effective closure of those operations up the Berbice River. The Union leaders have not been blameless and must shoulder much of the responsibility for what occurred. Many seemed to think that they were in the days of the late 1960s and early 1970s, leading up to the nationalizations of the foreign-owned bauxite companies then, when no doubt with some instigation, they were doing and getting away with a lot that would not normally have been acceptable. It set the stage for the recurring troubles in the bauxite sector after nationalization. These are different times. APNU+AFC had let the Aroaima situation stand over 2015 to 2020. I know of no new consideration that should lead the PPP/C Government to do differently now.
Both Linden and Bartica are gateways to our hinterland, Linden more to the south and east, Bartica more to the south-west, west and north-west: and indeed Bartica has the longer, stronger historical claim to be the gateway. There is an existing road link between Bartica and Georgetown – a journey of about 6 hours, about 55 miles of trail, one barge crossing, and 65 miles of surfaced road. The proposed Bartica-Timehri link should provide a shorter journey of about 3 hours, constituted of two barge crossings, about 28 miles of trail, and 25 miles of surfaced road. The Bartica-Timehri link has been the obvious next step as we develop in stages, a network of trails and roads across our country. When the PPP/C left office in 2015 we were leaning towards the installation of new “lane and a half” wide steel and concrete bridges throughout the length of the Linden-Lethem road, including one across the Kurupukari, as our next major development. On returning to office in August 2020 we found that the APNU+AFC had chosen the surfacing of the Linden-Mabura section as their first stage of development, and arrangements were far advanced. The PPP/C chose not to make a change but have quickly concluded the arrangements for financing this hefty US$190 million project (UK 66 grant + CDB 112 loan+ G-o-G 12) ensuring its early commencement. Further, even as I was writing this, President Ali has announced the Government’s commitment to replacing all the existing wooden bridges along the Linden-Lethem trail with concrete bridges so that the benefits of the surfaced Linden to Mabura section would not be diminished by problems along the Mabura to Lethem section.
The PPP is investing a lot in keeping Linden as a gateway, striving to develop the Millie’s Hideout to Wiruni landing trail and the Kwakwani to Orealla to Moleson creek trail which has been recently announced. If Linden and Region 10, Afro-Guyanese Afro-Communities, and supporters of the APNU+AFC do not take part and benefit equitably in the prosperity which the PPP/C is working for, it would be because Mr. Norton and other leaders of the PNC, including most distressingly young Amanza Walton-Desir and James Bond, have been continuing to play to the suspicions of their supporters. Their supporters must cause them to change or change them out. I understand that a glorious opportunity is at hand. Miraculous things can and do happen. I think of the two years from 1990 to 1992 when I was asked every day – you think that the PNC will ever allow you and Cheddi to win any election? And if by some miracle Cheddi and the PPP were to win – you think dem people would ever make you their Prime Minister? Those seemingly impossible things did happen.
Sincerely,
Samuel A.A. Hinds
Former President and Former
Prime Minister