My experience working at the Ministry of Finance

Jan 15, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I read in Kaieteur News, that the Chinese construction workers of the contractor, Shanghai Construction Group, for the Marriot hotel, a highly controversial project are squatting/strike in the building on behalf of their employer for not being paid a balance of about 1 billion dollars, while the government is saying that it owes only 800 million dollars.
If the paper is right, then it is sending a message that all is not right, possible collusion, especially to myself, a licensed professional engineer in Ontario, a contracts manager/administrator who writes these contracts and trained many. Head of Engineering on Marriot hotel next to Eaton Centre in Toronto, a confidential Advisor to Dr. Jagan and the Director of Primary Education Improvement Program a complicated program with many projects the largest loan of Guyana at the time, a few awards, etc, etc.
Firstly, there are progress payments, normally on a monthly basis, where a percentage as per contract is being deducted for warranty after substantial construction, for a year depending on the type of project. The contractor need this payment to finance the project as it progresses, payments to workers, staff, material and future investments with their profits etc. Why was the contractor not paid and allowed to reach 800M dollars? Government and NICIL did not have money, ask Brassington?
Secondly, the contractor is saying a billion dollars owed? No contractor will allow a government, a private entity/ developer to owe them that much money, in particular a government of a third world country, where law and order have favouritism. Thirdly, where will SCG get so much money to finance a project for a government/third world country, no lender will loan that much money to a contractor for Guyana; to verify SCG capital out lay.
Fourthly, is the construction workers paid? Obviously, or else they would have returned back to China, no one works for free. Ask the Commissioner of Information and his friend, the Prime Minister? Fifthly, the construction workers squatting for their employer, SCG to be paid. Very strange that the workers fighting for employer; this may be the first time in history. I guess this is Guyana; strange things happen.
Sixthly, why only foreign construction workers, skilled, semi-skilled at Marriot? Was the govt. afraid that info from the locals may go to the public, like material paid for was not their etc items related to corruption? This was a great wrong to the people of Guyana for preventing the transfer of technology.
We designed a Steel Plant for Trinidad and Tobago in Canada and only a few of us were allowed to go and manage the construction in TT to combine local consulting engineers and govt. engineers. Dr. Eric Williams, Prime Minister, policy was that any programs/projects, that requires foreign skills, must be allowed to bring to TT minimum professionals and all labour, skilled, semi-skilled, technicians etc must be local, to transfer technology, the skills, the expertise. One for you President Granger!
Seventhly, the team at the Ministry of Finance; I know their modus operandi, they do not appear to have respect for the “value of money.” I was shocked when the President named Winston Jordan as Finance Minister whom Dr. Jagdeo made Budget advisor. I forgot, he was also close to the pre 1992 govt. I knew then it will be an exchange, not a change in Government. I reported this to Minister Ramjattan immediately. I sent an 11 pages letter to Jagdeo when he was the Finance Minister, appealing to him to live to Dr. Jagan’s dreams, lean, clean and mean, to no avail.
Minister Ramjattan reviewed this letter with me at Pegasus and he was shocked to know what was going on, I believe this may have motivated him against corruption, a reason which he was kicked from the PPP, like me. I reported former President Jagdeo, Clyde Roopchand, Tara Balgobin, Khemdut Boodhu , and the now Hon Winston Jordan minister of Finance, to Dr Jagan, for having no respect of “Value for money.” Dr Jagan was going to confront them all, but Janet Jagan did not want Jagdeo fired.
Eighthly, I assume it is collusion; the Government will publicly put a big argument against SCG claim and then will settle for less than the billion dollars.
I am publicly asking the President, to give me a chance to audit the claims to this project, by immediately giving instruction for all documents to be sealed and taken to Anand Goolsaran , contracts design build/ consultants TOR and agreement, inspection reports, construction contracts package with all bill of quantities, progress payments, deficiencies , etc. this will prevent tampering.
In addition, President Granger, Mr Editor, this seems consistent with IFMAS. 1) We campaigned against PPP for not implementing the 6 and 7 modules of IFMAS, which deals with accountability and transparency of the peoples’ money, this has not been implemented by the coalition until now. Are we playing the same game, exchange and not change? 2) We were told that there are glitches to the module and Finance Minister said he knows the system. Why would any govt. pay $132m and it has glitches without correcting it at the same time with the contract, during the trial period?
Joe Persuad (Canada)

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