Dear Editor,
Amidst recognition of the necessity for continued improvements, there is much evidence to confirm that a transformation of Region 10 took place under the PPP/C Government, from the sad deteriorated state it had become under the PNC leading up to 1992. Once one of Guyana’s most thriving regions and economic drivers for its bauxite production, a gradual degradation took place over decades of PNC mismanagement of this key industry; and their role in stifling developmental opportunities while in control of the region for over 50 years.
The PPP/C inherited Region 10, like most of the country, as a failed region devoid of economic viability, so much so that former President Hugh Desmond Hoyte had signalled his intention to sell the State-controlled bauxite industry and its appendages as scrap. Many Lindeners and citizens residing in the region were to move to other regions or become collateral damage, as there was no financial support to advance the alternative diversification into agriculture. There was loss of jobs and massive retrenchments taking place; together with attenuating social, education and health standards, which the PNC dignified with continued false promises to residents.
It was a time of one of the greatest threats to the citizens and a test of the incoming Government, which took decisions to subsidise and re-engineer the industry in the interest of thousands of residing residents and the country at large. Incrementally, over the years, the PPP/C Administration transformed Region 10 into a region where our people’s standard of living developed many folds and a bright future was in the making.
Although one would argue and many believe that the PPP/C should have done much more, it is of note that the Administration took over the country with no money in the treasury and was highly indebted – over 94 per cent of revenue had to service the debt created by the PNC Administration. There were also many accompanying setbacks, which they had to manage, but the PPP/C did so in improving the standard of living in Region 10 over the period. I take this opportunity to highlight some of the developments that took place under the PPP/C during the period 1993 to 2015.
Health:
In the health sector, the PPP/C built and rehabilitated several hospitals, health centres and huts across the region in an effort to complement the access of citizens to medical care. Standout achievements in this respect include:
1. A new ($1.8 billion) state-of-the-art hospital at McKenzie, replacing the old hospital built by DEMBA.
2. A new hospital at Ituni
3. Complete rehabilitation of the Kwakwani Hospital (formerly built by Reynolds).
4. Several new health centres in the Berbice and Demerara River.
5. Health “huts” all over the interior areas of the regions in the interest of our Amerindian brothers and sisters, who were delighted with the development of health facilities in their communities.
6. The provision of sustained supported opportunities for our young people to study medicine and gain employment as nurses and health aids for which many are indeed thankful.
Education:
In 1992, almost all of our schools in our country were in a dilapidated state, with leaking roofs, broken windows, and unsafe steps and floors. The PPP/C advanced the development interest of youths and citizens in Region 10 by building, rehabilitating and supporting several educational intuitions including:
Building:
1. A new state-of-the-art Linden Foundation Secondary School, which is comparatively the best, resource-wise, in the Caribbean.
2. New secondary schools at Wisroc ($350 million), One Mile, Kwakwani along with a state-of-the-art student dormitory.
3. New primary schools at Watooka (formerly built by DEMBA; the new St Aidan’s Primary School at Mackenzie; Ituni; Coomacka, Muritaro, Malali, Great Falls, 47 and 58 Miles, Rockstone and Anarika and at Riversview.
Rehabilitating and/or expanding:-
4. The Mackenzie High School
5. The Wisburg Multilateral Secondary School
6. Most other schools in the region. Today, most of the schools need repairs and the APNU/AFC is not doing much to maintain the schools.
Information communication:
The PPP/C built the first-ever call centre in Linden at which over 100 young people from the region gained employment. It is very sad that the jealous APNU/AFC closed this centre down in 2015.
Roads:
In an effort to address some of the dust issues and development requirements in the Linden community, the PPP/C resurfaced several roads and asphalt-covered the Burnham Drive public road right down to the Christianburg Burial Ground while also constructing a vehicle parking area. In addition, the new Winfred Gaskin Highway was constructed and built a brand new road through Canvas City. The PPP/C also over the years expended millions of dollars on community roads network and continued to maintain the Linden to Kwakwani roadway over the period.
Housing:
The nation has witnessed the massive housing drive at Amelia’s Ward phases 1, 2 and 3; at Block Number 22 Wismar, and at other areas in the region, where over 2500 house lots were developed and issued with massive road networks. The development approach addressed much of the housing needs of the region and remains incomparable to any initiative of housing ownership and distribution of house lots to the residents under the PNC Administration or any other period in the history of Region 10. Complementing this massive housing drive was the construction of:
1. A brand new fire station at Mackenzie.
2. A brand new courthouse at Wismar.
3. Two new police outposts at Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc.
4. * Rehabilitation of the Charles Rosa Training Centre
5. *Rehabilitation and expansion of the Technical Training Complex.
Water:
Two new water treatment plants – ($1.7 billion) at Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward.
Bauxite Mining:
In 1992, PPP/C inherited an agreement entered into between the departed PNC Administration and the Multilateral Financial Institutions (MFIS), which funded and placed an international mining company (MINPROC) to manage the Linden Bauxite Company (LINMINE). MINPROC’s purpose was to determine and demonstrate whether LINMINE could be profitable, and if not, the company would have been closed by the then PNC Administration. Although MINPROC declared that it could not see a way to make the then operations profitable, the PPP/C did not close the industry because of the unthinkable hardships that would have overwhelmed the citizens. Instead, they injected over US$5 million every year to keep the company in operation until a partner in OMAI was brought onboard to invest and manage operations, providing jobs for hundreds of persons in the region.
Other investors were encouraged to come including BOSAI, which is still here keeping the operations going. With the privatisation of LINMINE, the PPP/C Government had to find G$2.5 billion to pay off the workers. It may be recalled that during the downside in the bauxite workforce, the PPP/C had introduced the LEAP programme, providing over $700 million in loans for alternative projects to persons in the region.
Other projects done under the LEAP programme include the building of the Benjamin Centre, rehabilitation of the Mackenzie car park, enhancement of the greater Mackenzie waterfront, and many more. When an assessment of the per capita investment by the PPP/C Government in Linden was done, it would have resulted in more money spent in this highly populated PNC-supported region area than in any PPP populated area in Guyana.
Further, the PPP/C Government employed 400 community D and I workers from the region to work 4 days at 4 hours per week to maintain their community.
Electricity:
Over $22 billion was spent on electricity subsides in Linden-Ituni and about $800 million in Kwakwani, over the period. In addition, the PPP/C installed solar electricity in the entire Amerindian villages in Region 10.
Agriculture:
The PPP/C spent over $200 million on the agriculture roadway at West Watooka and Moblissa. Further, a total of over $3.2 billion was allocated to the Regional Democratic Council for capital projects over the period, which was spent on small projects such as the health centres and the rehabilitation of bridges, etc. The PPP/C also introduced the Women of Worth (WOW) project. The PPP/C developed this programme to help single parents in 2013 and over 44 loans were issued.
The foregoing brings into perspective some of the interventions made under the PPP/C, and although there are many who have attempted to underscore these programmes, they represent factual positions that the naysayers should not attempt to discredit.
Previous PPP/C Governments did not leave Region 10 behind and the massive developmental programmes will continue under a newly elected PPP/C Administration.
Sincerely,
Andrew Forsythe
