Dear Editor,
I have to say, Wow! Wow! & Wow! after reading two items in your Nov. 13th. Edition of this instant. Item no. 1. President berates, Ministers, PS’s, Engineers, over delayed projects. This should have instead read President Reads 5.30 a.m. Riot Act. Editor, many I expect will call out President Ali for the manner and time, he called this long overdue meeting. I detected dire frustration in his approach and can only add that desperate times call for desperate measures. The People of Guyana and the opposition have all been critical of the many delays, shoddy work and endless excuses by all concerned in their efforts to wax over what is far beyond critical concerns of every Guyanese.
There should be no criticism over his approach, he did what he had to do as the leader of the nation. We are the ones paying for this crap so it is high time that the President and leader of the nation stand up for the thousands of us who could do little but complain and write letters to the media. As the Americans would say “the buck stops here” (no reference to our Indigenous brothers and sisters). The s**t has finally hit the fan and all those in attendance, servants of the nation would have been appropriately splattered by it. The President has alluded to our inherent culture of “Manyana” and taking serious business for granted, some have even fortified themselves long before their contracts have been completed while some are months and more behind while still others have not even begun. I am disappointed that some “BIG ONES” like a certain Pump Station contractor who I understand is more than 24 months behind was not a guest of the foreday morning “lambastation”.
The second item, a letter penned by M.P Annette Ferguson, about a certain contract worth over $7.6b which was approved and awarded to one Caribbean Green Building Inc. and which she has at least before called on the Minister of Works, Bishop Juan Edghill to give account. This particular contractor and the subject minister appears not to have been summoned to President Ali’s 5.30 a.m. “Lambastation” to explain yet another major national disgrace. I will add Editor, that I do not agree with M.P Annette Ferguson that the President has berated anyone. The time for being Mr. Nice has long passed, and this nation wants and demands answers. President Ali will now have to show us the people that he is serious and not just “blowing off”. As President, he owes it to the nation to explain how he is spending our hard-earned tax dollars.
Editor, we have not even reached the point where we the people see any substantial improvement to our life styles from our oil earnings, save for a handful of chosen ones, thus making it all the more reason I say “Right on Mr. President, I am now looking forward to your follow up” Please do not let us down.
Sincerely,
Bernard A. Ramsay