My contribution to the ongoing public debate on the Marriott

Feb 24, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Much have been said about the building of the Guyana Marriott Hotel by the Chinese, and I wish to add my contribution to this ongoing public debate.  But before I am misconstrued as I’m often does, let me make it emphatically clear that I support policies that create good jobs both in the public and private sectors, and the right of all Guyanese to earn a decent livable income.
The Ramotar Administration which I support, has been working tirelessly to achieve these goals despite some drastic budgetary cuts, but is now accused by the Joint Opposition of allowing the Chinese construction company, Shanghai Construction Group to employ only Chinese nationals during the construction phase of the Marriott, at the expense of providing jobs for Guyanese.
On the surface, this could be viewed as appalling given the high unemployment rate attributed to Guyana by some, especially those in the opposition. But when one objectively examines the broader picture, it is clear that the Joint Opposition is once again doing what they do best: Retarding all efforts by the PPP/C Government to further develop this country.
The Kaieteur News has done a terrific job over the years, highlighting the countless cases of shoddy work done by local contractors at taxpayers expense. To name a few, here is a sampling of those disturbing news headlines:
• Contractor exposed for shoddy work on N/A roads (KN August 11, 2011)
• More shoddy work on Good Hope/Lusignan bridge (KN August 15, 2011)
• Shoddy road works cost Linden municipality a fortune (KN Sept.,10, 2011)
• Worker killed as concrete wall collapses (KN March 27, 2012)
• Parika Backdam residents allege shoddy sea defence works (KN June 7, 2012)
• Supenaam stelling ramp collapses again (KN July 6, 2012)
• Engineers warned about substandard work, overpayments (KN January 13, 2013).
Recognizing this to be a problem, during her presentation on the 2010 budgetary debates, Junior Finance Minister Jennifer Webster assured the National Assembly that Government will put measures in place to penalized contractors for shoddy work.
But shoddy workmanship is not the only threat to our nation’s development; the easy-going attitudes and behavior of most in the workforce can be just as counter-productive as was articulated in a recent letter by famed cartoonist Paul Harris.
In defense of his work: A cartoon in the Stabroek News (February 17) depicting a drunken person, sprawled on the ground, jolted out of his drunken stupor by an irate employer, Harris wrote, “…these critics of the said cartoon KNOW that the cartoon depicted the general attitude toward work in general by many Guyanese, eg: It is almost a culture with hired workers that at the end of a work week, when workers are paid it is VERY LIKELY that they don’t report for work at the beginning of the new work week, either ON TIME or NOT AT ALL. The usual trivial, flimsy excuses abound… “not feelin’ good…” or “…trans-p di’ li’l hard…” and it goes on… When the truth is they were heavily hung over from a weekend of drinking. Some even go so far as to cease returning altogether since barrel or family come in from “foreign”.
The point here is that many Guyanese do not have the WORK ETHIC they so readily and eagerly adopt when they leave these shores for those abroad and they KNOW that arriving to work ON TIME, EVERY DAY is VERY important and no flimsy, trivial excuses-PERIOD!!”
Well, I could not agree more with an old friend. The truth is, Guyanese are not reputed for having good work ethics at home.
In a discussion I had some time ago with my brother, one of New York’s leading architect with associates in Guyana, I was shocked when told that most of the building contractors at home cannot read Architectural or Structural Drawings properly, and even the few that could, do not always build to specification. They often substitute materials and compromise the integrity of a building’s foundation to maximize their profits.
Building a massive structure like the Marriott, requires not only tremendous knowledge and experience, but discipline and the uncanny ability to function as team. All of these attributes are the hallmark of the Chinese culture. Guyana is experiencing a tremendous building boom.
There is no shortage of work in the construction field for those who want to work. Just recently, the Chinese construction company, Bai Shan Lin International advertised for about 700 skilled and semi-skilled Guyanese workers, and local contractors are experiencing difficulties finding workers to complete the projects they have. Unemployment is not nearly as high as some would want us to believe.
I am very impressed by the tremendous speed at which the Marriott is being built. An entire floor went up during the past month alone. But progress would have been severely compromised had the Shanghai Construction Group not given the option to select their own workers: people with the skills and experience of working on similar projects in other countries. It is like having  the right tools to get the job done properly.
Had the construction of the Marriott been given to a local contractor with the lack of knowledge and experience in building similar structures, with a workforce that lacks the discipline and professionalism, here is the likely outcome: The Marriott  Hotel would take years to complete; way over budget; and another article on taxpayers’ money being wasted on shoddy work when the substandard foundation gives way to erosion from the mighty Atlantic. After all these years, we’re still waiting for the Amaila Falls access road to be completed by local contractors and workers.
Of course, a Chinese construction team building the Guyana Marriott should not come as a surprise to anyone in the know, except leaders of the Joint Opposition whose only interest is to find ways to discredit this Administration.
In the United States, California officials said the state saved hundreds of millions of US dollars by turning to China to build the Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The giant steel modules were built by several thousand Chinese Nationals over a five year period. The bridge that was previously damaged during an earthquake, is set to open later this year.
This project is part of China’s continual move up the global economic value chain — from cheap toys to Apple iPads to commercial jetliners.
And I guess the leaders of PNC/APNU and that AFC provocateur Mark Benschop would be protesting outside the US Embassy if they knew that the US$120-million Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington was built by a Chinese sculptor.
On the local scene, the Chinese were involved in the construction of the Bel-Lu Clay Brick Factory; and a large workforce of French Canadians were employed during the construction of OMAI Gold Mines Limited in 1991, all done with the approval of the then PNC regime. How hypocritical that they now criticize the PPP/C Administration for a precedent they set years ago while in office.
The Marriott will soon be completed, and an estimated 200 Guyanese Nationals will be permanently employed there in the hospitality business. I hope at the appropriate time they all remember with contempt, the leaders of PNC/APNU and AFC who tried so hard to deny them those jobs.
Harry Gill

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