…roads and misguided priorities
Your Eyewitness’d written before of this administration’s investing at least $200M to prettify Carifesta Ave in time for the Caricom Heads of Government (Caricom HoGs) meeting here this week. A median was installed as well as street lights and long stretches have been resurfaced. The Ave was supposed to’ve been also widened but they won’t be able to complete that in time.
To what end? After all, no one’s ever complained Carifesta Ave wasn’t fine. Well, we were enlightened in the latest press release from the unit in charge of the project. Seems the HoGs will be staying at the Marriott and they’ll have to drive down Carifesta Ave on their way to the Convention Centre at Liliendal on the East Coast.
But that wasn’t all. For the first time we were informed that since these Caricom HoGs will be arriving at the newly renamed Correia Airport at Ogle, the road to THAT facility’s been completely resurfaced and had streetlights installed. And what did that cost, pray tell? Another $100M? So what it boils down to, is we’ve spent at least $300M on roads that were fine up to now – just to impress the Caricom HoGs!!
Does this government really believe these HoGs don’t know that in terms of per capita GDP – and EVERY other measure, including roads – we’re still just above Haiti? They don’t know the unemployment rate of our youths exceeds 40%? They mightn’t have seen the pictures of the despicable state of the road at Little Diamond recently in the papers, but doesn’t our government know the HoGs themselves play these games to impress visiting delegations? Why couldn’t the government have spent this kinda money to fix some of the roads that the ordinary folks of this country use?
The APNU/AFC coalition seems to have a serious compulsion to “put on a show” to impress visitors. Has it not learnt from the Jubilee Big Bash that when the “sport” is over Guyanese will still have to face the bleak reality of a collapsing economy? And with this “dog and pony” show for the Caricom HoGs, the ordinary folks won’t even get a chance to enjoy the sport.
We were also told Carifesta Ave would’ve been renamed “Ave of the Caribbean” but after some strident criticisms, seemed to have backed off. But imagine even considering discarding the name of one of the few real innovative institutions we gave to the region – CARIFESTA – and were ready to dump it into the garbage heap of history.
To what end? Just to impress?
…promises
During the last elections campaign, like all parties on the hustings, the APNU/AFC coalition made a host of promises. Now everyone knows a bit of puffery is involved in these matters. But even “puffery” implies SOMETHING’s gonna be done which can then be “puffed up”. So what happens when NOTHING is done? You can eat humble pie, for starters!
Asked about the promise to lower VAT which was “a burden the PPP/C had inflicted on the poor” – and which the Committee it set up after the elections had recommended a 2% reduction – Pressie confessed this was “imprudent” since the money just ain’t there to do it. So does this mean the PPP was “prudent” to set VAT at 16%? Are all those financial and tax mavens who’d dragged the PPP/C over the coals – and probably misled Pressie – now going to apologise to the PPP/C?
So what about the promise to give public sector workers a “substantial” raise? Will the GPSU, now in negotiations for the aforementioned raise, be told that was “imprudent”?
Wouldn’t that be impudent??!!
…forked tongues
Now that Her Mayoress is going ahead with Parking Metergate, it’s clear that her contrite demeanour in front of Pressie was just a sham. But citizens can now see the man behind the deal – Kamau Cush.
Would you buy a used car from this man? So why new parking meters?
