Govt’s abandonment of PPP/C projects worsening economy – Ali

…“forget who left it there, who negotiated it, let’s do it in the interest of the people”

The coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government is being accused of badly mismanaging and now abandoning major projects left by their predecessors, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which has led in part to the drastic decline in the nation’s economic performance.

 

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) point man on the economy, Irfaan Ali, has since called on Government to not abandon projects such as the PPP/C’s 1000 home project, since they hold the potential to turn around the nation’s economic performance.
According to the former Government Minister, the APNU/AFC should, “forget who left it there; who negotiated it, let’s do it in the interest of the people.”
He was adamant that the resources are there to ensure that the projects can be completed and drew reference to the Specialty Hospital, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, the 1000 homes project, homesteads along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, the creation of Sillica City, incentivising the manufacturing industry and the diversification of the sugar industry along the lines of co-generation.
“We already negotiated it,” he said, in reference to the financing for many of the projects since abandoned by the APNU/AFC.
Ali has also blamed incompetence on the fact the economy has been performing this sluggishly as conceded by the Finance Minister Winston Jordan in his mid-year report.
“If you have incompetence in implementing the investment programme, then it will have a negative effect on economy,” said Ali.
He has predicted too that “it will be worse this year because the books will have to be closed earlier.”
Ali was at the time drawing reference to the fact that the 2017 Budget is slated to be presented on December 5, coupled with the fact that halfway through this year, the Government was unable to spend 50 per cent of what was allocated.
“All that is happening is that you will be having new resources coming and will not be able to spend old resources.”
The unspent monies, he said, will have to be returned to the Consolidated Fund and the nation would not have been able to benefit from the Government’s investment programme.
He said too that such a position will have major cost implications, since many of the projects will now be attracting more commitment fees on loans and extended periods of management and supervision fees among others.
“There is major cost implication,” the former Minister said.
He said the APNU/AFC Government can find the resources to turn things around since the resource are there but must be used strategically.
Citing an example of a waste of scarce resources he drew reference to the Durban Park facility which was completed to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars but only ever used twice.
According to Ali, the PPP/C is willing to pit its human resources behind implementing many of the projects.

Jagdeo
He pointed to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, saying he is recognised internationally as a credible resource on climate change.
He said organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) states have been utilising his services “because they see the value of the asset.”
According to Ali, “we have to mature ourselves, we are a small country we have limited human resources and these days, so many are leaving that we cannot afford to overlook or bypass what is available and what can help us.”
The former Government Minister is adamant that “unless we are able to move in that direction and understand this is an important aspect of continuity, credibility and sustainability we continue to shoot ourselves in the legs.”
Speaking to the divisive stance between the political leaders in Government and Opposition, Ali drew reference to the Public Procurement Commission which was one of the few things that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) unanimously agreed to its members.
To date, the members have not been sworn in and according to Ali, Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan, despite voting in favour of the members of the Committee has been publicly saying that it was the PAC Chairman – Ali – who ensured that certain persons selected.
“It derails all the good work done on coming to a unanimous decision …its betrayal, it’s a betrayal of what actually transpired to some selfish end… those are the things that continue to erode our ability to find common ground.”