Robeson Benn’s Vinayak or vinaigrette

Sep 28, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

It is coming on to a year now that the Ministry of Works and Transport under the controversial new PPP Tsar, Robeson Benn has bought a bitumen plant from Indian from a company named Vinayak and it sits idly along the banks of the Demerara River at Garden of Eden.

The Bitumen plant

I heard about this fiasco months back but the impulse to write about it came on Friday night when in conversation with friends about my article on the new Transport and Harbours Sports Club on Thomas Lands, the names Ivor English came up.

Ivor English as readers would know was the Manager of Transport and Harbours when he was sent home by Minister Benn for alleged administrative lapses in the sums allocated to reconstruct the complex. The money, in Mr. Benn’s eyes it may appear, was too much.

Mr. Benn ordered an audit and English and the contractors were cleared. But English still remains at home.

Sadly and tragically for this nation, those who have a certain cultural and political background in the public sector can get away with all sorts of things.

There is a man that a GRA investigation found signed MORE (note emphasis) than fifty bogus duty free letters at the Ministry of Finance in 2004 and remains in that job.

The high- high-handed edict to send English home is another manifestation of the naked display of power that none of us who fought the Burnham Government should accept. And that we must dedicate to our lives to confronting.

To think that Robeson Benn and Bharrat Jagdeo were nowhere in sight when thousands of us sacrificed so much to have democracy returned to our county and this same Benn (whose father in my eyes remains one of the most destructive politicians this country produced – remember his infamous words – “you can stop tomorrow but you can’t stop communism.”) and Jagdeo could just dismiss people at their pleasure.

But also we must ask what Benn and Jagdeo have contributed to this country in the realms of intellectual learning, political sacrifice and nationalist endeavours.

So on Friday night while talking about English, Benn’s Vinayak (or vinaigrette – meaning, old two-wheeled vehicle), came up. This bitumen plant is reported to be bought at a cost of $200M.

It was purchased by the Ministry without the advice of our local engineers. So what is wrong with Robenson’s Benn’s Vinayan? It has become a vinaigrette. It cannot perform in Guyana. GPL has put Guyana on 60 cycle and Benn’s Vinayak can only work on 50 cycle.

Any engineer would tell you that it cannot work. The best analogy is a machine that can only function at cool temperature. It wouldn’t work in Saudia Arabia.

Here is the part that is heart-breaking. Here is the reason why we must dedicate our lives to bringing about the Velvet Revolution.

After the Roger Khan sentencing, we must assign all our energies in confronting the elected dictatorship of the PPP Government. Mr. Benn remains untouched.

But the citizens and the then opposition (including the PPP hypocrites) of this country were vocal when Mr. Corbin, then Minister in charge of the portfolio Mr. Benn now holds, bought a floating barge to assist GPL (then known as GEC) in the supply of electricity. The barge failed like Ben’s Vinayak and there were loud shouts of condemnation, with the PPP calling for Corbin to be sacked.

Where are the cries for Mr. Benn’s dismissal? Mr. Benn ought to have done the honourable thing and resign. But if he does that, it puts us in a dilemma. Why shouldn’t Jagdeo resign over the Roger Khan journey of mayhem? Why shouldn’t Priya Manickchand resign over the charges Mr. Jagdeo’s common law wife made against him? Why shouldn’t Manickchand resign over Kwame’s behaviour? Why shouldn’t Beri Ramsarran resign based on what Prime News reported about him? Why shouldn’t Rohee resign over his visa story?

Why shouldn’t Lumumba resign over his admission that he exported dolphins (wonder if they are still alive) without a permit? Why shouldn’t Jagdeo resign because he appointed Evan Persaud to head the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting?

Why shouldn’t Kellawan Lall resign over an incident in which his wife took her life? Why shouldn’t Kellawan resign over a brawl at an East Coast pub?

Why shouldn’t Ashni Singh resign for boldly insulting the nation by telling Kaieteur News that exposed corruption over a drainage pump that the newspaper should start to tender for contracts.

Why shouldn’t Jagdeo resign for repeating that same asininity? So the nation will have to live with Mr. Benn’s Vinayak that suddenly became a vinaigrette and Guyana lost $200M.