As government officials essay explanations for why things go wrong, the views of the people are critically important in holding them to account and providing their own wisdom and insights. The comments facility on Kiskadee Watch and its letter column have already proven to be valuable over the last three months in the public discourse on issues.
There were several examples of this in yesterday’s edition. The embattled Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar felt compelled to explain why a seemingly completed road project was left with utility poles smack in the path of traffic.
He said that the transmission line conveyed by the poles could not simply be removed because it is currently the only link carrying bulk power between the Demerara and Berbice systems. He said removing the existing line now would require significant power outages which the Government does not want to occur. Instead, an alternative 69kV transmission line is being constructed through the East Coast backlands, and Mr Indar said the new route is being built from Ogle towards Good Hope and is expected to be completed by the end of November at which point the existing poles along the roadway would be removed. The backlands project has taken longer than initially anticipated because contractors have had to construct access roads and work through wetlands, marshlands and swampy areas, Mr Indar added.
This prompted KW commenter GT_Pitbull to say: “Do the last task first and the first task last. Never seen such blatant incompetence. Major public safety issues. A classic example of cart before the horse”.
And Blackrattler said: “This is a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand doing. Didn’t somebody, anybody ‘think’ that before constructing the road the ‘utility poles’ should have first been removed?”
They are both right. This road project is a perfect example of the poor sequencing of tasks and the ill-advised rush to build all over without the careful prioritising of the works that should be done first.
After a hasty mobilization of heavy machinery for the expansion of the University of Guyana Road, the project has now been dormant for two weeks and the machinery has been left idle on the shoulder of the East Coast highway – another disorganized start to a project and a significant cost to the public purse.
The Minister of Local Government Priya Manickchand has recently turned the sod for a number of billion-dollar markets. These major projects will clearly test the limit of the country’s absorptive capacity and likely lead to undesirable outcomes. There are also questions about the justification for these projects and their viability.
In a letter in yesterday’s Kiskadee Watch, Keith Bernard teed up the problematic neatly.
“Is it prudent for the Government to commit billions of dollars of public funds to these projects, and could such investment unintentionally crowd out private capital?
The concern, he said, was highlighted by the new New Amsterdam Municipal Market, estimated to cost approximately $1.03 billion which forms part of a wider programme involving markets in Pouderoyen, Zeelugt and East Ruimveldt, as well as the planned reconstruction of the Stabroek and Bourda markets. Collectively, these projects represent several billions of dollars in public expenditure, he noted.
“There is nothing wrong with modernizing Guyana’s aging markets. Vendors need safe and sanitary facilities, and consumers deserve clean and orderly environments. However, the scale of spending makes it essential to examine whether these projects are economically justified, properly managed and financially sustainable”, Mr Bernard said.
He adverted to the experience of the Kitty Market. Rehabilitation began in 2016 at an estimated cost of roughly $240 million, yet almost a decade later the project has continued to face delays, additional funding requirements and incomplete works.
“This raises serious concerns about whether today’s billion-dollar projects will be completed on time, within budget and properly maintained”, he cautioned.
Aside from the clear attempt by the government to dominate local authorities with the people’s money where is the justification and rationale for all of these projects? Who will provide the explanation? Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has since pointed out that a contractor on a delayed pump station has acquired a portion of the contract for the billion-dollar Zeelugt market. How will this contractor be able to manage and did the bid evaluators consider this at all?
And in what could only be described as a cri de coeur, letter writer Peter Bouchard on Saturday expressed grave concern about the narrow misses for parents escorting their children from the Marian Academy as vehicles hurtle along what has become a speedway for uncouth and dangerous characters behind the wheels.
“For those readers who enjoy a good horror movie or get a kick out of suspense series, you could do no better than to sit outside the Marian Academy on Carifesta Avenue at 1500 on a weekday, when school lets out.
“Here, where a new four-lane road has been built, flatter and faster than the South Dakota Circuit, you can see vehicles being driven directly into families desperately trying to cross the road to their parked vehicles. Here you can watch SUVs come bearing down, as a mother drags her child out of the way at the last minute, here you can watch a two-minibus race, hurtling down on the school leavers, as they cower to one side, as they pass. And so the lawlessness goes on…
“I bring this to public and Authority attention as I have sat and watched this last week with my heart in my mouth as each family tries to cross. It is a miracle that no-one has yet been injured or killed and it is almost a certainty that someone will be, very soon, if nothing is done about it.
Why are there radar speed signs but no enforcement?
Where is the police presence that there used to be at this busy time?
Why are there no signs on the approach and by the gates?
And why has the zebra crossing been taken away???”, Mr Bouchard asked.
This is the type of engagement by the public that is invaluable and must lead to remedial action by those in authority.
Discussion