The PPP and the PNC have starkly different legacies. Let us examine one legacy. Transportation tolls in Guyana – highway tolls and bridge tolls – are uniquely a PNC legacy. Removal of those tolls is essentially a PPP legacy. Highways’ tolls were removed by a PPP government in the 1990s, now the PPP is removing bridge tolls.
The President, HE Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, announced on Sunday that all tolls on the river crossings – the Demerara River Bridge, the Wismar Bridge and the Berbice River Bridge – would be eliminated as of August 1, 2025. The announcement was not new, since it was previously declared; but now we know the effective date. The elimination of the toll would roughly correspond with the commissioning of the new Demerara River Bridge.
Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese citizens and families would benefit from the new arrangements. After all, this would leave more disposable incomes in people’s pockets. Most Guyanese commend the Government for finding yet another way to increase the spending power of Guyanese families, but the Opposition parties seemingly are opposed to the removal of the bridge tolls. PNC MP Annette Ferguson insists that a feasibility study must be done. The PNC mayor of Linden rejects the removal of the tolls from the Wismar Bridge, insisting that this move is intended to rob the town of about $6M per month.
Ruminations challenges Aubrey Norton, leader of the PNC and Leader of the Opposition; Nigel Hughes, leader of the AFC; David Hinds, presidential candidate of the WPA; the leaders of all the one-man or one-woman parties to tell the nation with a simple yes or no their position on the Government’s plan to eliminate the bridge tolls from August 1, 2025. They can provide an explanation for their position, but we need a clear yes or no answer. The Guyanese people deserve a clear answer from the political leaders who want to be president.
It has been made clear on several occasions, by the General Secretary of the PPP, that President Irfaan Ali is the presidential candidate of the PPP for Elections 2025. President Ali has given his clear position on the issue of river-crossing tolls. He not only supports elimination of the tolls, but has already put in motion the elimination by August 1, 2025.
How could anyone oppose the elimination of tolls for crossing the rivers? What feasibility is needed before the tolls are removed? The Government has already determined it is able to fund the maintenance and operation of the bridges. For Linden, the elimination of tolls from the Wismar Bridge would lead to an increase of visitors into Linden, and this would drive economic growth in Linden.
Tolls in Guyana are essentially a legacy of the PNC. The Guyanese people remember that it was Forbes Burnham’s PNC that introduced three toll gates on the Berbice Highway between New Amsterdam and Crabwood Creek, and on the Linden Highway. Those tolls were eliminated by a PPP government. The elimination of highway tolls was a manifesto promise of the PPP in 1992, and the PPP kept its promise to remove the tolls.
Tolls in Guyana are not just for revenue-generation. The PNC has utilised tolls as a punitive measure. The establishment of three toll gates on the Berbice Highway – at Bohemia, Adventure and #63 – was unconscionable and designed to punish supporters of the PPP.
Both parties can claim “removal” when it comes to transportation, but in starkly different ways. Whereas the PPP removed highway tolls in the past, and is set to remove bridge tolls by August 1, 2025, the PNC removed a whole transportation system in 1972 when they closed the railway system between Rosignol and Georgetown and between Vreed-en-Hoop and Parika.
The removal of tolls from the highways and bridges increases disposable incomes for families, whereas the removal of the railway system imposed severe struggles on families, reducing their disposable incomes. Whereas the removal of tolls from highways and bridges increases economic activities, the removal of the train system severely reduced economic activities.
Many people have opined that Burnham closed the railway system because he wanted to punish farmers, who overwhelmingly supported the PPP. This was similar to the establishment of three toll gates on the Corentyne Highway. It is not shocking, therefore, that as the PPP gets ready to eliminate all tolls for river crossings, the PNC is opposed to that move. After all, tolls are a PNC “thing”. It is also not shocking that the PPP government is known for always seeking to remove tolls.
Tolls are a kind of taxes on people. The PNC has an obsession with taxes. They are known for introducing new taxes and for consistently increasing old taxes. In their tenure between 2015 and 2020, the PNC-led APNU/AFC introduced more than 300 taxes. The PPP in 2020 eliminated all the new taxes the PNC introduced between 2015 and 2020.
For those persons who sometimes argue there is no difference between the PPP and the PNC, the differences are actually very stark. The history of highway and bridge tolls is just one in the enormous amount of stark differences between the parties.
As Guyana approaches Elections 2025, taxes will be a major discourse. The Guyanese people will be serenaded by the Opposition on how they would increase disposable incomes of Guyanese families. One certain way to increase disposable income is to either eliminate taxes or reduce them. One of the major political parties – the PNC – always sing the same tune of reducing taxes, but they always, whenever they are in government, do the exact opposite and increase taxes. The PPP, Guyana’s largest political party, has always either eliminated or reduced tax rates. The story of highway and bridge tolls is a clear example of vastly different legacies when it comes to highway and bridge tolls.
