Matthews Ridge Dam

Jun 10, 2023 Editorial

Editorial…

Kaieteur News – It was our belief that Guyana’s President word had considerable weight. So, the expectation is that when President Ali gives an order it is followed to the tee and immediately. Somehow, it seems that a Chinese company operating in the Matthews Ridge area either didn’t pay enough attention to what His Excellency said, or it didn’t care what he said for all the response that followed.

For a President’s publicly spoken command to be ignored for two years by the Chinese company is an insult to the national leader, and the high office that he holds. We have difficulty thinking of any Guyanese company doing what the Chinese have done in Matthews Ridge with that vital dam, and would be allowed to get away with such action. Guyana Manganese Inc. (GMI), a subsidiary of Bosai Minerals Group, is reportedly responsible for severely damaging a dam that is widely used by area residents, but has not done anything to correct the situation. Not even when Guyana’s President made clear that they (the Chinese) have to fix it.

Meanwhile, during this long two-year interval, residents have no choice but to cross to the other side by navigating a slippery slope of steps, and across a metal bridge that causes much nervousness and fear because it is not anchored down. It is a dangerous undertaking with some users falling, but escaping serious injury by mere chance. Among those who make use of the dam are schoolchildren and the elderly. This means that schoolchildren have to make their way across a treacherous and dangerous stretch twice daily to get to their places of learning. We think that this is too much to ask of them, and that two years is too long for this to remain unaddressed by anyone, be they Chinese or Guyanese. When the poorer and slower in our society are treated in this shabby manner, it does not speak well of our standards, our priorities.

No one should be allowed to get away with what GMI is doing in Matthews Ridge with that unfixed dam. For the company to respond, after repeated complaints from community residents, with a makeshift arrangement is not good enough; neither acceptable. The Chinese have to act responsibly, and since they have not done so, then the Government has to find the will to act, and get this matter closed out. Too many foreigners are coming to Guyana to exploit this nation’s riches at the cheapest cost, and too often to the peril and distress of our hinterland communities. This abomination has to stop, and if not, then the Government has to make an example of GMI.

President Ali does not have the luxury of turning the other cheek, looking the other way. His Excellency’s instructions must not be given the casual treatment that such has received at the hands of the Chinese. It is our position that the President and his PPPC Government have to show the Chinese, and all others who come here with dollar signs dancing in their eyes, who is running this country, and who must do as they are ordered. Guyana wants partners to explore its riches, but it does not have to settle for any and every irresponsible and unhearing newcomer pretending to be a valued partner. We can pick and choose, and a start must be made at doing so, for that would send the proper messages to those who have other ideas that scorn our peoples and leave our communities seriously handicapped.

It cannot be that much of a challenge to correct the problem, so it is difficult to fathom why the Chinese at GMI have not done so. It cannot be that costly to restore the dam that the Chinese damaged, but which they have balked at doing for two years and counting. For the management at GMI to be this unresponsive, confirms how they think of Guyanese. Though there is some reluctance to table this, there is no choice: when the instructions of Guyana’s President can be given short thrift, then nothing more needs to be said about how the Chinese view Guyanese. Our position is simplicity itself: get going with fixing the dam, or get going.

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Matthews Ridge Dam

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