Latest update April 16th, 2025 7:21 AM
Latest News
- Oil production in Guyana to climb to 900K barrels per day… as 4th FPSO arrives
- Italian company secures contract for early works on Exxon’s 7th project yet to be approved
- Israel proposes Gaza ceasefire deal to release 10 hostages for hundreds of Palestinians, Hamas says
- Peru’s ex-president and first lady sentenced to 15 years in jail
- Brazil to auction 172 oil blocks in June
Criticism of ‘Three B’s’ programme disappointing, pitiful – Pres. Granger
– vows to expand project
President David Granger has described as “disappointing” and “pitiful”, the opposition’s claim that Government’s “Three B’s” (Boats, Bicycles and Buses) programme is an attempt to promote the coalition party.
Expressing his thoughts on the criticisms recently, the Head of State was adamant that after years of no such provisions, the “Three B’s” programme has taken children from off the streets and into schools.
He argued that when the project was launched, it was not with the intention of advancing party politics but doing a public service.
“It is a pity that people would see school children on the street corner year after year and the moment you (Government) decide to help you are subject to criticism,” he stated. “I got the idea through my interaction with students and families in all ten regions.”
Granger emphasized that it was neither self promotion nor the promotion of a party; but it was about fulfilling a need. He urged that critics find out firsthand about the programme, including by getting feedback from the children.
“Go and find out if (the programme is) fulfilling some political ambition. Because the money their families save will run into the millions by year end. They are enjoying the benefits. It’s not PNC or APNU or Coalition. So I was very disappointed when I heard the criticism, it is a public good and I will continue to increase the amount of transport.
“We want to see school attendance improve. The PNC (People’s National Congress) is a 59 year old party; they don’t have to resort to giving out bicycles to be popular. Similarly the Coalition,” he pointed out. “It is no longer a pet project anymore, it is a national project.”
A bus from the ‘Three Bs’ programme
President David Granger
Granger was also asked about the continuance of the project and how the buses would be maintained. As far as the maintenance is concerned, Granger affirmed that this will be done at the regional level.
“This is not a central government initiative alone. I want to see the regions and municipalities involved. In my charge to individual Mayors (recently sworn in), I told them get the children in school, please, make it a municipal priority. I don’t want to see children playing in the streets at 10:00hrs. You provide the transport.”
“We don’t have the money to provide school buses in all the regions, but we have the will and a lot of businessmen, some of whom don’t want their names publicized, have come forward and helped with buses and bicycles.”
The ‘Three Bs’ initiative was launched in July last year after President Granger’s 70th birthday. He had made a call for support for the initiative, which aims to provide transportation to enable children to get to school safely and comfortably.
Since then, there has been a national response, with private citizens and businesses donating buses, boats, engines and bicycles to the programme. The “Three Bs” program has, however, been heavily criticized by the opposition, since the items are in green and yellow and some, for example the buses, have been named ‘David G’.
Former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, had been vociferous in calling on the government to stop “green and yellowing” Guyana. She had argued that it amounted to one party forcing their party politics on others who were not necessarily adherents. This is despite the fact that the programme targeted primarily children.
Pointing out some public infrastructure painted under the clean up campaign and the items in the “Three Bs” programme were all in the Coalition’s colours, she had stated that a more appropriate color would be the colours of the national flag.
The matter had also been argued in the National Assembly in February 2016. While PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira had expressed her views against this practice, Speaker of the House Dr. Barton Scotland had pointed out to her that green and yellow actually constituted the colors of the flag.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
In praise of the Almighty Executive Order
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Democracy, as we know it, is a kind of ménage à trois — the elected, the appointed,... more
Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- On April 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of the higher... more
Weekend Cartoon
