Dear Editor,

Just recently, the trail going from Lethem to the south of the Rupununi, between Shulinab and Mountain Point, was upgraded to allow easier access, especially in the rainy season.

What actually happened saw millions of taxpayers’ dollars once more being wasted. The foundation used was the powder dust alongside the trail, and then a kind of layer of laterite was laid on top to make it look good. When we the residents saw the kind of work being done, we knew that it would never withstand any kind of rain. The first so-called introductory showers are testimony to this. This year there has been no kind of rain whatsoever. The little that fell last night, July 16, bore no comparison to the rain which falls out here in the south, but it ran off the nearby mountains and began washing off the substandard work.

This evening there are a number of persons including  a patient and children, who have to spend some time in Shulinab because they are not certain when they will be able to pass the damaged trail to reach home. Some businesspersons who were bringing much needed basic food items, chicken, fuel, etc, are already beginning to count their losses. Shouldn’t these people be compensated for something which could have been avoided?

I say this Editor, because in previous times, last year and years gone by, this same piece of trail never gave us problems. The fact that this supposed all-weather road, not more than two months old and  intended to assist us in the rainy season, washed away in the first  rainfall is beyond our comprehension. We are frustrated by the sub-standard work being done and we need an urgent, proper and professional investigation. Who evaluated this work upon completion? How much taxpayers’ money was expended on this project? Taxpayers should begin demanding professional work for their dues. This calamity reminds us all of the recent collapse of the Rupununi bridge before it was officially opened. This is Guyana.

All that had to be done was for a professional assessment to be made.  The ordinary man can tell you there is no need to scrape the top soil on hills and lay some kind of layer; the foundation is already hard and compact enough, something which was recognized previously. Had only the bad spots gotten the attention they needed, the trail leading to the Deep South would have been accessible with the same amount of money as used in this case, and still with change left over for more work the following year.

This is not good enough and it is time that substandard public works be treated with the seriousness that they deserve. We in the South Rupununi are totally fed up and frustrated with the continuing calamities and blatant disregard for our livelihoods. Those white collar officers, who sit in their offices all day, should come out in the thick of a proper rainy season to see with their own eyes what we have to pass through.

It leaves me to wonder when the Low Carbon Development Strategy is implemented whether this substandard work will continue. If that is the case, we are staring at a bleak future and the gap will continue to grow. The few rich will get richer and us poor will become poorer. US$580M is quite a temptation.

We can change Guyana beginning now, by doing something  about this haphazard piece of work and other works, and holding those responsible accountable.

Yours faithfully,
T. James