History will not be kind to the Government of President David Granger if it continues its unprecedented wave of abuses, excesses and corrupt practices which are no doubt testing the patience and intelligence of all right-thinking and law-abiding Guyanese citizens.
The truth is Granger’s Government probably holds the view that its cheap political clap backs, hostile public relations machinery and one-seat majority in the National Assembly are enough to create a sheepish, docile and compliant populace which do not possess the testicular ability to challenge the Executive and win!
Also, when one looks at the postures of its ministers especially the Prime Minister, Attorney General and Social Cohesion Minister, it is easy for one to arrive at the conclusion that the APNU/AFC Government believes that it has a divine right to govern, and those who oppose that right must be silenced, sidelined, dealt with and denied the right to thrive in both business and politics for as long as the APNU/AFC hold Executive power.
A closer look at the policies, decisions and projects undertaken by the new Government expose the fact that there is no “big” appetite on their part for good governance, transparency, and accountability, regardless of the tricky and sometimes sleek rhetoric from their devout spokespersons Joseph Harmon and Raphael Trotman.
Granger’s Government is missing the mark every time it is given the opportunity to demonstrate that it is a Government for all the people that is interested in pursuing unity and reconciliatory politics. It continues to miss the mark whenever it is caught in the middle of scandals and corrupt practices and fails to discipline its principals, ministers and hand-picked party officials who have found themselves in the public service and benefiting from lucrative business contracts and deals.
Last Monday another opportunity was missed in the National Assembly for the Government to admit that they erred and would require more guidance in the future when making key decisions about the country’s overall development, especially when it comes to infrastructural development.
Recall that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, which was in Government for 23 years, moved a motion aimed at mandating Government to release key details about the financing of the controversial D’Urban Park Development Project.
The PPP/C was forced to move the motion because the Government with its usual arrogance refused to come clean on the project from the outset. From the inception of the project there was secrecy over who was responsible for the venture, how much money it required, and where the money was being recorded and kept.
There were also allegations that the new Government was coercing businessmen into financing the project. Soon after the nation discovered that substandard and poor quality work valued at hundreds of millions was squandered on the project which resulted in the Public Infrastructure Ministry taking over its completion and which saw hundreds of millions more being spent.
This is most shameful, and despite appeals for answers from the public, parliamentarians and civic leaders, the Government continues its posture of indifference and defiance.
Now we hear that the Government placed the construction and financing of a public asset into the hands of a private company which was set up more than 120 days after initial works started.
We now hear that there was no budgetary allocation for the project and that it was in the interest of time that some breaches and wrongs were undertaken.
We now see the President and his ministers defending another deceptive and controversial venture as they seek to do damage control.
But there are now more questions than answers after the PPP tabled its motion. What is the true cost of the “asset” that we have at D’Urban Park? In order to arrive at the answer the Govt must provide account for all of the donations that were made by the public and spent on the project.
How much more monies were paid out by Govt to cover debts associated with the latter half of the project; and how many persons are still owed? Who is managing the facility and was any feasibility study done or even widespread consultation undertaken that pointed to a need for another stadium in that part of the country?
The President disappoints all Guyanese when he continues to defend the indefensible. Surely, he must launch a Commission of Inquiry into the project to see if he too was misled by his Cabinet of Ministers.
I predict that were the PPP to continue its research and parliamentary work, this Government would be put to shame and its track record damaged beyond repair. There are too many bosses, advisors and security experts in the coalition. That is why crime is up, business is down, corruption is thriving and governance is still poor. Nothing has changed in this country since the departure of the PPP. Things have moved from bad to worse and I fear that the worst is yet to come. The D’Urban Park Development Project is a disaster and lacks vision. It is the centrepiece of the Government’s legacy and nobody is smiling except Hamilton Green who will be all teeth on the way to the bank monthly, regardless of the misfortunes of the Government.
