An insult to truth; a stranger to reality

Oct 06, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Anil Nandlall has continued to advance the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic ‘s(PPP/C) crooked narrative that has become synonymous with its programme on September 27, 2018, “Matters of Public Interest’’ on CNS TV Channel 6, which is a complete misnomer, for what its contents really are – wholly dedicated to public mischief.
In our fledgling democracy, I do not have any problems with an opposition party, vying to present itself as an alternate government, by competing in a constructive manner, and even taking adversarial positions, for such is what politics really is. But even the latter, does not have to mean stooping to the level of dredging for desperate lies, half-truths, while presenting misleading matter for the public’s attention, to get their support/sympathy.
More so, it is unnecessary in a country such as ours, where the PPP/C continues unabated to use its major phalanx of whipping up ethnic fears and insecurity among its supporters.
If this party had any historical comprehension of what such dangerous strategies can lead to, and its subsequent aftermath, it would cease its dangerous daily crusade of seeking to sow the seeds of subversion.
Its deceptive show is really one of its media political windows dedicated to undermining the efforts of this government to make Guyana a better place, and the good life for all.
In one of its most recent descent into its chasm of dark deception and lies, one of its most senior practitioners of media mischief, Anil Nandlall, presented a set of two lies that have become the trademark of the man whose ambition is to now become president.
First lie, that the current government has not executed a single Capital Project, except the remodeling of the East Bank and East Coast public roads.
Unless Nandlall lives in another dimension, or is in the category of political dementia, or has “bounce e head”, he has to be truly physically blind for empirical observation; or further deaf, so that he cannot even follow media electronic broadcasts on daily events in his own country.
Of course, Government has inherited the East Coast expansion projects, which they are bringing to a culmination. Let me remind Nandlall about the infamous, never-occupied $728 million Kato Secondary School, in Region Eight, executed by the then PPP/C government, which had to be rehabilitated after an audit found a plethora of defects that made it unsafe for children.
The Kato Secondary School remedial was eventually completed by the Coalition government for approximately $1 billion.
There are schools, both primary and nursery, as well as a new police station being built at Aurora, Essequibo; sea defence projects in the Good Hope/Pomona locale.
Hats off to the numerous projects that the coalition government commenced, completed, and still has ongoing, since coming into office: better roads in the city and in many coastal communities for the first time in their existence as homesteads.
This is in addition to the resurfacing of numerous roadways throughout those locales.
It also extends to street lighting, as has been the experience at Highbury, now enjoying a proper reconstructed public roadway, which the PPP/C government had ignored for two decades, despite numerous protests from community residents.
Then there is the $3B programme undertaken by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), since 2016, which has resulted in over 100,000 residents in communities in all the ten regions being able to receive a regular supply of potable water, and communities receiving water facilities for the first time.
Inclusive in this important dispensation, is a new water treatment plant for 16 pumping stations in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, which has resulted in 30,000 new customers. This programme extends to hinterland communities as well; for example, at Mabaruma and Lethem, with the installation of a new chlorination system at pumping stations at Lethem, and a new storage tank at Mabaruma.
Transmission lines are being advanced at Port Kaituma. Now add the recent announcement of eight wells to be dug in hinterland areas, and one will understand that capital works that will make possible a better communal existence for citizens of this important geographic space of Guyana are being carried out.
Second lie, “…putting their friends and cronies in position for contracts, thus resulting in inferior quality execution of these works’’.
How could this Member of Parliament, an Attorney-at-law by profession, not support his accusation/contention with hard-core evidence about the “inferior quality execution” of work? Where and what is he talking about?
This man has the guts, if not, the deception and temerity to attempt the dirty trick of ascribing to this government, a notoriously corrupt practice that had become synonymous with the PPP/C administration – contracts for friends and cronies, many of whom became fly-by-night contractors, and who did some of the most horrible infrastructure works ever recorded in this country’s history of civil engineering.
The record is there for any who will care to recall the many criticisms of shoddy construction of the Supenaam Ferry Stelling and the float away Charity Wharf, which were publicly reported in the media, during the PPP/C administration.
As an aside, one should add that this culture that was patently discriminatory in its racist construct, for its deliberate exclusion of Afro-Guyanese contractors as awardees, has significantly added to the racial divide.
Call this, a bold and brazen disregard for the truth by Nandlall; an insult to the many citizens whose taxes were wasted on what was purely sub-standard work of the Hope Canal Bridge that is still tainted by awful structural defects.
In spite of $350M being expended to build it. On several occasions, road users pointed to the potential harm the structural defects would cause to persons who are unfamiliar with depressions on the road surface.
All this is not surprising, given the fact that he is part of a political party whose penchant for trampling over truth and reality, is their daily line of political existence.
Regards
Dillon Goring

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