Dear Editor,
Last Friday, September 20, 2024; your publication published a letter penned by me, headlined; “10 pertinent questions that the Minister of Public Works must address on the matter of the proposed government complex.”
Minister Edghill issued a press release refuting my claim regarding one of the questions – ‘Can the minister say whether monies from the $7B approved for the office complexes are being used to fund the construction of the Sheraton Four Points Hotel?’ The release stated, “The assertion that public funds are being diverted to construct the Sheraton Four Points Hotel is not only absurd but also raises serious questions about the integrity of the opposition.” I view this comment as malicious, dumbfounded and to discredit my integrity.
Editor, a question was asked. I never implied that monies for the project is building the ‘Sheraton Four Points Hotel.’ Edghill must be mindful that the $7.6B approved by the National Assembly is monies belonging to hardworking taxpayers of Guyana and by right, as an Opposition Member of Parliament, I am duty bound to seek after public expenditures. There are records both in the public domain and in the National Assembly where Edghill, as Opposition Member, questioned expenditures by the then Coalition Government. I cannot understand what the difficulty is now, if questions are being asked by current Opposition Members.
Interestingly, the press release by Edghill stated that many of the preparatory works for the Government Complexes are being done offsite, referencing the fabrication of the steel for the superstructures. He claimed that the steel are being manufactured by factories. However, he has failed to identify and make public the names of the factories. How transparent is this? As articulated in my letter, I visited the proposed site for the project on several occasions; as recent as September 7, 2024, where I observed no activities, with the exception of aggregates for ongoing road construction being stockpiled.
Editor, I further view the press release by Minister Edghill as an attempt to mislead the public that only $2.6B was paid to the contractor, ‘Caribbean Green Building Inc,’ as an advance. I can only assume that Edghill may have allowed temporary amnesia to overtake him at the time of the release being prepared. May I take the opportunity in reminding that during the consideration of estimates for budget 2024; he, Edghill, admitted in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly that $6.699B was expended at the end of Financial Year 2023, while an additional $1B was approved for 2024.
Editor, for the avoidance of being accused; of lacking integrity and misleading the public, I will provide by way of exhibit, an extract provided by the Ministry of Finance in budget estimates for 2024. They recorded that $2.65B was spent in 2022 and $4.045B was spent in 2023. Therefore, the question here is, who is lacking integrity, ‘Edghill or Ferguson?’ Therefore Editor, now that this project has become a public debate, and Edghill has stated that steel structures are being manufactured by factories; can he provide information on the following questions:
1. Name(s) of the factories manufacturing the steel.
1. Where are these company located?
1. Can the people of Guyana be shown images of the factories
and the manufacturing of the steel?
1. Does the Ministry of Public Works has a representative
overseeing their interest?
1. If yes, how often the representative travel to ensure the
people of Guyana is getting value for money?
1. Was the Contractor, Caribbean Green Building Inc., given
an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of the steel?
1. Where are the concrete piles being made?
1. Could the Minister provide name of company making these
concrete piles?
1. Could the Minister explain why hasn’t the contractor
commenced additional works on the foundation for the
project?
1. While the project has a completion date of August 23, 2026, |could Minister Edghill say to Guyanese when actual and physical works are expected to commence?
Editor, Minister Edghill is on public record saying, “Construction of Govt. office complex to begin this year,” Kaieteur News, January 3, 2024. I stand by my initial call, ‘Edghill must come clean on this project.’ No amount of fancy designs of the project, game blaming and name calling will deter me from the real focus, that is, ‘accountability.’ I say to Edghill as a brother of the clergy, do not attempt to pull wool over the eyes of Guyanese. You know better, do better. That is his stewardship. I conclude by saying that it is difficult for me to buy wholesale the narrative provided by Minister Edghill. I look forward to him addressing my ten questions contained in this letter.
Sincerely,
Annette Ferguson, MP
