Dear Editor,
It seems like many moons ago Guyana had its first minority Government, as such, is the intensity of living in Guyana over the past two and a half years. Indeed, the almost daily eruption and unearthing of a new scandal, scheme, corrupt practice or policy to unleash untold suffering upon the populace, makes the very daily existence in Guyana, an unprecedented challenge and more than a mouthful to swallow. It is why I find it necessary to pen this letter to remind Guyanese of an administration which, when in Opposition, bullied its way against a Ramotar-led People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration, and, continues to bully the people of Guyana, every step of the way.
The current Administration enjoys catapulting itself onto a pedestal and casting judgement on the PPP Government with the insinuation that the development agenda being pursued by the party, under the framework of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) was somehow subpar. Editor, even an ex-facie examination of the LCDS would reveal its superiority to the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS); a document which is supposed to be the development plan of Guyana until 2030 which contains glorified narrative and no underpinning mechanism of economic or social transformation.
It is indeed true that energy is one of the most important sources of economic transformation in any developing country – Guyana is no different. Any attempt to stymie any project which aids in the improvement of the energy sector, must be seen as a position which is diametrically opposing to progress and antithetical to development. Unfortunately for the people of Guyana, this antithetical position was recurrent in the Tenth Parliament of Guyana, propagated by the one-seat majority APNU/AFC Opposition.
Editor, three actions, which should not be seen as mutually exclusive, must be examined to understand how the APNU/AFC has single-handedly underdeveloped the energy sector and inhibited improved efficiency. These are: 1) the anti-Amaila Falls Hydropower Projects stance; 2) the inciting of protests in Linden on the regularising of the electricity rates and; 3) the inability to conceive a viable replacement on the same scale as the Amaila Falls Project. I will briefly examine each.
The anti-Amaila Falls Project stance could probably be remembered as the greatest sabotage on Guyana’s development in the post-structural adjustment period. Editor, this project was internationally lauded by development experts, engineering specialists, international agencies and local experts.
I cannot overemphasise the economic benefits which would have accrued from cheaper electricity but improved Private Sector competitiveness in international markets; greater disposable income for consumers and; the ability to attract more foreign investors to our shores were among some of the most immediate. Despite pleas by President Ramotar and other senior PPP members, the APNU/AFC remained steadfast in their anti-development position.
The inciting of violence in Linden when the regularisation of electricity rates was initiated in the Budget speech, represents another sore point in recent Guyanese history. Regularising the electricity rates in Guyana would have represented the first step to ensuring that GPL, which suffers from inherent inefficiency due to line losses, moved one-step closer to second-best efficiency. This however, Editor, was not to be.
Perhaps the greatest injustice stricken onto the Guyanese people is the woeful intellectual infertility by the APNU/AFC to conjure a viable alternative to the Amaila Falls Project which would provide the same magnitude of power. The Windfarm Project which at its peak is supposed to generate 30 per cent of the power of the Amaila Falls Project, is strife with corruption from the very outset. Moreover, we are almost at the end of 2017 and halfway through this Administration’s term in office and no substantive progress has been made on this project.
I would offer to close by reminding the Guyanese public that even through the trying time of development sabotage, PPP Administration grew the economy by 13.8 per cent over a three-year period – sublime economic growth by any measure.
In the absence of such strong performances, the economic growth over the three-year period would have been a lackluster six per cent approximated. It is a small wonder therefore why the Guyanese populace complain of trying economic times and a visionless government. Editor, almost a decade later and we are still no closer to any form of alternative energy and face blackouts as a part of our daily lives. Why? Lest we forget the development sabotage.
Yours sincerely,
Nand Puran
