The challenge of keeping Guyana moving

Sep 08, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
This is my response to Sase Singh’s column “CAN GUYANA ACHIEVE 4% GROWTH IN 2016? UNLIKELY! Consumer spending is necessary. However where is the just as necessary link to production and productivity? Where is the discussion of senior bureaucrats slowing down programs which can get funds to low income workers?
While it is correct to focus on the Cabinet what about officials who are not ensuring that funds are spent on cleaning drains, canals, trenches and other high impact, productivity linked programs to benefit low income workers? The challenge of keeping Guyana moving is not only at the top political level. The senior and middle management of the public sector for political and corruption reasons is also stifling implementation of programs that can create jobs.
The political leadership from the top has to become more pro-active. The time to hope that by playing nice folks is going to run with the program of the Granger administration has come to an end. On being proactive an example is the infighting over the property in Georgetown which the developer wants to build to seven stories and government departments are getting in their way to limit the building to six stories.
Both sides share the blame. Irrespective of whether permission was granted for seven stories or not we are at the tipping point it seems for the call centre according to the developer, who is the anchor tenant for the building. The investor can scale back his plans for a food court and other shopping and thereby have enough space in the six story building to house the contact centre. On the other hand the Ministers of Business and Communities can come together with the Mayor of Georgetown and hammer out a deal that keeps investment flowing and take the opportunity to streamline and clarify permitting processes so that this type of mess does not re-occur.
As you get around Georgetown you can see clearly that just cleaning up the Capital city is an immediate impact jobs program that has tangible benefits for citizen morale, tourism product enhancement, and disease control. Multiply that by the whole of Guyana. There is for your information, a new publication on Guyana’s mining economy which was recently shared with me.
Fitzgerald (Gerry) Yaw

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