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Government’s poor infrastructural management hampering growth
A partnership of National Unity (APNU) is calling on the Government to better coordinate how it manages, plans and implements public infrastructural works.
Opposition leader David Granger during a press briefing yesterday, articulated APNU’s position that poor public infrastructural management has significantly inhibited development in the country. He posited that the government “has no comprehensive plan to invest in, improve or increase public infrastructure assets. The administration, however, pursues costly white elephant structures or politically glamorous projects such as the so called five-star hotel rather than pursuing practical projects to develop essential infrastructure which could make life easier for the general population.”
Leader of the opposition David Granger
In speaking to the issue at hand, Granger pointed to the construction of the airstrip at Wakenaam Island citing it as a classic example of misplaced priority in which millions of taxpayers’ dollars were spent ($54.4 million) on a facility that is of no benefit of the residents of that region. He posited that “island residents, years after its completion, are still bewildered at being given an unwanted airstrip. Yet, forty-four more frequently used airstrips in the hinterland receive only marginal maintenance, a contributory factor to aviation accidents.”
The resources wasted could have been used elsewhere for more beneficial purposes such as the rehabilitation of The Bartica, New Amsterdam, Parika, Rosignol, Stabroek, Vreed-en-hoop and Wakenaam stellings, Granger said.
Speaking to the issue of mismanagement, the opposition leader made mention of the Supenaam stelling which was “completed at a cost of $431 million plus $100 million in additional remedial works that collapsed.”
According to Granger “We need a plan to coordinate the efforts and consolidate the resources of various state agencies which seem to be involved in infrastructure works. The Ministry of Public Works has overall responsibility for infrastructure but we find that Ministry of Housing and Water do roads in these housing schemes, we find that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development are speaking about roads in some of the Hinterland areas.”
He further stated that “the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has its own Hinterland infrastructure committee looking after roads in the mining areas and then the Office of the President attempts to administer a complex engineering (560 kilometers US$32M fiber-optic cable) project between Lethem and Georgetown with the Public works Ministry having to be tasked with correcting poor work from Kurupkari to Mabura by one of the project’s contractors.”
Taking this into consideration APNU has called for the establishment of a ‘super department’ to coordinate the engineering structure necessary for the development of the country and implement a coherent policy in order to “avert confusion in the delivery of services and to avoid wasteful expenditure of state funds.”
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