Rubio mocks Guyana’s bumpy ‘US$65M Heroe’s Highway’

Mar 29, 2025 News

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…says “almost had concussions, the road was so bad, it was terrible”

By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News- Shortly after United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded his visit to Guyana, where he held talks with President Irfaan Ali and other government executives, the US official, at a press conference in Suriname, spoke about the poor quality of roads in Guyana and cast the blame on the Chinese.

The US$65 million road that Rubio referred to was, in fact, built by local contractors and was commissioned in December 2023 by the Ali administration. The highway connects Eccles with Great Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). Rubio had to traverse this highway to make his way from the airport to Guyana’s capital.

In Suriname on Thursday evening, Rubio said his problem with China is twofold. He spoke about China’s Belt and Road Initiative and noted that in many countries, Chinese companies set up operations and “they do a terrible job. Not a bad job, a terrible job.”

To this end, Rubio shared that he had just come from Guyana and was escorted on a road that he was told was built by the Chinese. “We almost all had concussions, because the road was so bad it was terrible. They paid these people to build this road, and then they bring their workers. They bring their workers; they don’t hire you, they bring their workers in to do all the work. And then they want you to borrow a bunch of money, and then they hold it over your head,” Rubio said.

He explained that he wants countries to have alternatives and not be solely dependent on China. “If you’re going to build a road, I want you to, like, have a real road. They were better off with a dirt road than the road we were just on. And it’s not the fault of the current administration in Guyana; that was a road that was built before. But they did a terrible job,” Rubio said.

He continued, “If you did that job in America, someone would sue you for a lot of money, okay? It was a bad road. So we want to be able to ensure that we are providing alternatives to what we think is bad work by the Chinese that never finishes on time, is always over budget, and brings their own workers, don’t even hire the locals.”

Guyana vows to stand by U.S. 

At the press conference at State House in Georgetown, Rubio stated that President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese-built ships aim to reduce dependency on Chinese shipbuilding.  While Rubio acknowledged the potential economic consequences such a move would have on Guyana and the region, he admitted that he could not make any guarantees about exemptions or policy changes, as trade matters do not fall under his portfolio. However, he assured that he would relay the region’s concerns to US trade officials. For his part, President Ali, who had acknowledged the looming economic impacts stemming from Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese-built ships, vowed to stand by the US, “a great friend” of Guyana. Ali said, “The US is a great friend of ours. The US has made it very clear that they are ready to stand by us in our development, in our economic expansion, in our security and in our defence. And I will say very boldly that such friends must have some different and preferential treatment, because a friend who will defend me when I need a friend to defend me, must be a friend that enjoys some special place in our heart and in our country, that will be the case.”

China fires back 

Hours after the press conference with President Ali and Secretary Rubio, the Chinese Embassy in Guyana made a Facebook post highlighting its work in Guyana. China outlined that it has always put the China-Guyana friendship first. “We honour our commitment with concrete actions. As a matter of fact, China has participated fully at the biggest economic and social transformation in the history of Guyana. Facts and figures speak louder than anything else,” the Embassy responded.

The embassy highlighted the various projects being executed by China in Guyana. It also stated that over the past 12 years, China-Guyana trade volume has increased from US$180 million in 2013 to US$1.4 billion in 2024. “China is willing to deepen the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, and elevate the level of high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation between the two countries,” it was stated.

In its post, China highlighted the New Demerara River Bridge, which is taking shape and expected to be completed this year, the construction of the China-Guyana Friendship Joe Viera Park, which has started, and the six regional hospitals expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Phase Two of the East Coast Demerara Road Project is also progressing steadily.

PNCR clarifies road was built by PPP 

Meanwhile, at the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) press conference on Friday, Party Leader Aubrey Norton said, “Heroes Highway was built by PPP favourite contractors under the PPP and not the coalition government.” He said the Opposition notes with great concern an ill-informed comment that the construction of the Heroes Highway was undertaken by the APNU+AFC government. He stated that this claim is completely untrue. Norton clarified that the Heroes Highway was constructed by some 12 contractors, whom he alleged are favourites of the PPP regime.

“We agree with US Secretary of State, Mr. Marco Rubio, that the road was poorly done. In the Leader of the Opposition’s Budget presentation, this fact was underscored when he described the road as an abortion road and stated clearly that it was of poor quality and a reflection of PPP corruption and incompetence,” Norton said.

The Opposition Leader suggested that the PPP government might have misinformed Secretary Rubio by claiming the highway was built by the former administration. He added, “Whether it is the government or not, the government must take full responsibility for the construction disaster they call Heroes Highway and correct the misinformation that is in the public domain. The Secretary of State must be made aware that it is not the worst that the regime has built; the Schoonard to Crane road is worse.”

(Rubio mocks Guyana’s bumpy ‘US$65M Heroe’s Highway’)

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• Ali, China, Guyana, Norton, Rubio, U.S

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