The tale of the Golden Jubilee masterpiece – D’Urban Park

May 11, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
So after spending literally hundreds of millions of dollars to erect the world’s worse stadium, and after lying about the purpose for its construction, the Coalition is again showing how inept they are, by moving the National Flag Raising to “some” other place then backtracking after there was denunciations.
Let’s go through this step by step. First the newly minted Coalition told the very excited Guyanese public that the millions being spent to construct the Jubilee Park were donations from the Diaspora and local contributors. They refused to name any of their donors, saying that if they do the PPP would victimize them. That of course was a reasonable excuse. The PPP and particularly Jagdeo, do have that nasty side of vendetta. So the Coalition kept the names of the so-called “donors” under wraps. Then when asked, they said that they cannot disclose the cost of the project because the final tally had not been done.
When pressed further, they said that the change of managers from the Larry London’s group to the Ministry of Infrastructure – the David Patterson’s group – does not allow for an accurate audit, at the moment. We still await the final audit on that project.
You would remember that the change of manager was ordered by President David Granger, after it was found out that the stands being constructed were virtual death-traps and that journalists were literally, physically, removed from the site, because they were filming and recording the shabby works being done. They were also claims of cronyism and rampant theft of the funds and materials. The embarrassment was too much from the young government, so Mr. Granger held his nose and rearranged the deck.
Next we heard that the multi-millions used to construct it were not really from donations, rather, the monies were from the public purse. So in the 2016 budget, a supplemental payment of five hundred thousand US$ dollars was sought to pay the contractors. Actually, that was not really to pay the contractors. That was to give the contractors a little-something because the contractors say that they were owed more. But in vintage PNC style – using bully tactics – they were told to “Take it or leave it!”
Then on one of the President’s weekly media programme, he announced that the Jubilee Park’s project would be halted, meaning that that nice picture on that expensive billboard, of a transformed Durban Park, with tracks, and booths, nicely landscaped walkways, etc. will not materialize. The place has now become an area where you find stray animals and where vagrants reside. At nights it is transformed into a place where lovers and prostitutes frequent to ply their trade.
Editor, it was not as if the Government was not warned of this eventuality. The hundreds of millions spent on Durban Park could easily have been used to renovate the two existing places we have for such activities. If the Government thought that they need more seating capacity at special events, then portable tents and chairs could have been brought in. All this was told to the administration. However, commonsense did not prevail. The king has on no clothes and no one wants to tell him.
Now after all that money spent to build that monstrosity, that stands as a collection of death-traps, the Government ran around looking for a place to locate the Flag Raising Ceremony. This was ridiculous! I would therefore like to suggest that President Granger revert to his original plan and have those stands dismantled and donated to community parks across the country. We are also suggesting that careful attention be paid to the reconstruction of the stands and that monies be allotted for the painting of the stands, when they are erected in the communities.
We all are aware that this is a comparatively new administration, with a collection of political novices. However, their mistakes are too numerous and their blatant and unapologetic arrogance does not allow for much goodwill across the national divide. This is our country and all of us must have a say in how it is governed and how our money is spent.
Finally, this administration has disappointed and frustrated many of their diehard supporters and even those who were willing to work with them. Could it be that they were looking for another location because of the embarrassing numbers that would have showed up at these national events and the Jubilee Park would tell the sad story?
Dr. Vishnu Bandhu

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