PSC calls for more disclosure of Govt. involvement in project

Aug 05, 2010 News

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo

“While we at the Private Sector Commission welcome the Marriott Brand Hotel to Guyana, we believe that more disclosure would lend to a greater appreciation of the dimension of government’s involvement in the overall project…We also believe that appropriate consultation should be ongoing with all stakeholders and that evaluations of all projects are necessary to ensure reasonable return on investment over an acceptable period.”
This is according to a statement issued by the commission yesterday for the first time following the controversy surrounding the announcement of a proposed Marriott branded Hotel in Guyana that will be owned and managed through a private/public partnership, namely Atlantic Hotel Inc.
According to the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the entity is committed to the overall economic growth of Guyana and believes that the introduction of the Marriott Brand will be significant to the tourism, airline, and generally the service and other sectors of the economy.
When contacted yesterday, PSC Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo said that in economics, while it is that demand fuels supply it also works vice versa, in that if there is an increase in supply then there will be an increase in demand.
He was speaking to the fact that if there were the establishment of more quality rooms in Guyana then the demand for them will increase.
This is a notion that has been contested by Chief Executive Officer of the Pegasus Hotel, Robert Badal, who says that the increase in the supply of rooms for Guyana – which already has three times what is needed – will inherently kill the industry.
He says that this is the case, given the fact that Guyana is not a tourist destination and that there is a relatively constant number of persons coming here.
The PSC chairman, meanwhile, said that the commission is committed to growth of the economy and the industry at large, and with the infusion of the Marriott Hotel there will be increased competition and as such the industry itself will grow.
Dookhoo also made reference to the fact that Guyana has signed on to the revised Treaty of Chaguaramus which stresses the need for competition.
According to Dookhoo, Guyana cannot allow for the prevention of competition.
As it relates to persons who have a grouse with the fact that the Government may invest money into the project, Dookhoo said that it is not uncommon for governments to invest in such projects as is the case across the Caribbean.
The opposition parties as well as Badal had questioned the use of taxpayers’ money in the project.
“The impact of additional international branding will have a positive result for the country as customers loyal to their brand will be attracted…It is also expected that the presence of a major international chain will create outward linkages to the international hub utilizing the Marriot Chain,” according to the PSC Chairman.
In relation to the fact that there isn’t the relevant investment into making Guyana a tourist destination, Dookhoo pointed out that millions are spent annually in this regard.
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Innovative summer programme extended to children of municipal workers

Mayor Hamilton Green interacts with some of the children

Although its optimal operation is restricted by its financial capacity, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown has been engaging various innovative means to cater to the wellbeing and needs of its employees. At least this is according to Customer Care and Deputy Public Relations Officer, Debra Lewis.
Her remarks were forthcoming yesterday even as the city entity introduced for the first time a summer programme geared at disseminating educational knowledge to the children of its employees.
Under the theme “empowering the next generation” Lewis said the programme comes as a strategic move by the municipality to expand the services it offers.
According to the city official, although the services of the municipality are specifically designed for Georgetown, through the programme it will be extended to employees’ children, as some of them hail from rural communities.
And the service, she said, will take on the form of educational sessions which will be delivered through the municipal health education programme which entails a diverse range of subject matters.
It is expected that the young participants will be exposed to issues relating to health, including HIV/AIDS, abstinence and crucial facts about reproductive health.
In addition, practical and life skills lessons will be disseminated to youths as will the importance of proper garbage disposal.
“We offer a plethora of services and this venture comes as part of our packed health education programme which is already being offered to city schools. However, we are bridging the gap by offering this new dimension of the programme to our employees’ children as well,” Lewis asserted.
The programme formally commenced yesterday and is set to continue over the next three weeks at the Dorothy Bailey Health Centre, South Road, Georgetown.
“It is our hope that at the end of the programme that the skills and knowledge acquired would be taken to the various schools and by extension the communities, to help make a difference,” Lewis speculated.
According to Acting Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck-Cort, the council has an obligation to address the welfare of its employees, adding that helping to educate employees’ children falls within that mandate.
This move, she said, will include educating the participants about the history of Georgetown and will not be short of educational field trips around the city. “Following this programme I have no doubt that you all will be more rounded individuals,” Pluck-Cort told the attentive young gathering.
Some 35 children are expected to participate in the programme, some of who were able to interact with City Mayor Hamilton Green yesterday. The Chief Citizen further sought to enlighten the youths about the importance of knowing their history adding that it is crucial for them to have self-confidence.
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Copper ‘hustler’ caught red-handed

Rawle Wright learned the hard way yesterday that one has to be careful when ‘hustling’ to make a living.
Wright appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Priya Beharry on a charge of simple larceny.
According to Police Prosecutor Stephen Telford, a security patrol from the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company spotted Wright at the junction of Mandela Avenue and Vlissengen Road vandalising the company’s property.
Wright, according to the Prosecutor’s report, had been attempting to remove articles when the security patrol saw him. They detained the suspect until police arrived to arrest him and inform him of the charges.
He was then taken to the Brickdam Police Station. The articles were returned to the company. Wright stated in his defence that he did not remove the articles from the box, he said that he ‘hustles’ copper for a living and had seen the wires under the box so he decided to pick them up.
Before Magistrate Beharry handed down her decision, Prosecutor Telford asked her to consider the damage caused by persons like Wright who vanadalise the property of utility companies, as well as the consumers who suffer as a result of their actions.
The Magistrate informed Wright that he could either pay a fine of $25,000 or spend three months in prison.