Dear Editor,
It is almost disgusting to listen to someone from the government, whether it is the regional chairman, a minister or the president, give a public address in Berbice. On every occasion we have to hear that ‘this government gave you the university at Tain; we gave you the Berbice Bridge and we also gave you the Skeldon factory.’
Let me say that these are structures which were erected during the reign of the PPP/C, but are they gifts to Berbicians? These are obligations a government had to fulfil to a section of the country that has been neglected for too long. These are not handouts, and so the saying, ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’ does not apply.
A car or small vehicle has to pay $2200, that is US$11 to cross the Berbice Bridge. (I will leave the other charges for other vehicles out of this discussion to make it simple.) A while ago a certain senior government official was on a TV programme and I called in to mention that the cost of crossing the Berbice Bridge was more than twice the cost of crossing the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York, and the people in Guyana do not earn half as much as the people in New York. The official said that we should not come from America and expect to have things here the same way they are in New York. Such a silly answer.
Are we supposed to feel good that we are paying so much to cross the Berbice River but be thrilled that we do not have to wait as long as we used to when we had to use the ferry? It is just one hundred dollars to cross the Demerara River. The inconvenience to other travellers is surfacing every day. There are no facilities for pedestrians or cyclists, and the geniuses who thought of putting the bridge in place never batted an eyelid over the cars and buses that ply the route. Why is there no bus stop or car park anywhere near the access road? Then instead of looking at that as an afterthought the government is building a gas station at a bend that is very dangerous – the seawall turn. We have to be lucky to have a bridge across the Berbice River.
Oh, we also have UG. It is a campus that is still struggling to get lecturers to make a diploma programme practical. Anyone who wants a degree, well we have UG at Tain, but you have to go to Turkeyen for your degree. Is there a technology programme at Tain? Of course it is the one we are dreaming of. And do not forget that our dream of having a branch of UG in Berbice has become a reality. So let’s keep on dreaming of a degree or technology programme here also.
How about the state-of-the-art factory at Skeldon? State-of-the-art it is. I visited that place and I was amazed at the technology that is in place there. It is a powerful factory but what are we to do with it? We do not have the cane to keep it running, and the electricity it generates can’t be passed to the grids that supply Berbice because the proper lines and other power distributing facilities are not in place. Then god-brother, GPL, just decided to shut down Canefield and Onverwagt generating stations. The result? With all the state-of-the-art equipment Berbicians are now privileged to have more un-announced and frequent blackouts than before the introduction of this state-of-the-art factory.
As an aside this government is bent on setting up structures and roads and all the things that look good for the forthcoming election, and our roaming president even defended the Amaila Falls road at the recent Oslo conference in Norway.
Sounds good. Here is a trick question. Do we have the funding to build a hydro-electric plant there? Or do we have any potential investor who will set up this generating station? Just a thought.
This government ought to behave as if it has an obligation to the people and not be carried away or emotionally thrilled when something is done in Berbice. Any infrastructure development is not a gift; it is fulfilling an obligation.
Yours faithfully,
Charrandass Persaud
