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A LOW DOWN, DIRTY SHAME ON THE PPP
The disclosure that the former administration leased a piece of prime real estate in the city to a friend of one of the leaders of the People’s Progressive Party, presents a problem for that party.
The members of the PPP must appreciate the great damage that this revelation represents to the image of the party, and should take steps to remove those involved in this transaction from the leadership of the party.
It is wishful thinking to believe this will happen, but if the supporters of the PPP are serious about regaining power, they have to dump many members of the existing leadership and send them into political isolation. There is no way that the PPP leadership can be re-elected to political office considering the terms of the lease of that plot of land which was formerly administered by the Guyana Public Service Union.
The reports in the media indicated that there was a lease for three acres of land for $500,000 per year, which is not bad if the land was to be used for agricultural or sporting purposes. But for commercial purposes, this represents a deal for the person granted the lease.
However, the catch is that the agreement offers a purchase option to the land. This is similar to what was done with Sanata Textiles. There was a similar lease agreement with an option to purchase. This is a disturbing development and the government may now have to investigate all the land deals entered into the PPP to see whether there are similar options.
The option to purchase can be viewed as an attempt to move from one form of privatization, lease, to outright sale, without a system of competitive bidding. This is unacceptable and a breach of the PPP’s own White Paper on Privatization.
The deal is yet another example of the rampant cronyism that alienated a great many of its supporters from the PPP. This one, coming against the background of the Sanata deal and the sale of lands to persons on the East Coast (not Pradoville), really is a disgrace to the PPP and a humiliation to their faithful supporters. It is a low down, dirty shame.
The lease is legally binding, but there are circumstances that are fortuitous for the government since the principal is embroiled in so much controversy that should he persist in trying to defend himself against the Guyana government’s attempt to reclaim the land, it may end up becoming the property of the United States government.
The land was reportedly repossessed under the PPP. But that is not the issue. The issue is why was it given out, and given out under such dubious terms. Why, also, were lands allocated for sports being converted into commercial usage?
It is believed that a similar fate awaited the old softball ground on Carifesta Avenue. Kitty needs more places for the young people to play sports and this piece of land should be used for such purposes.
The PPP in the meantime has to consider the fallout from this incident. It has seriously damaged the credibility of the party and will almost certainly mean that the PPP will lose the next elections, unless it replaces from its top echelons those responsible for this deal. The credibility of the PPP is seriously damaged.
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