The contract required asphalting of the roads, except that in parts it can already be peeled off or dislodged by simply stepping on it. As a result potholes have already begun to develop on the road. This is the sort of shoddy work that would incense any community and should similarly affect the authorities. But does it?
PPP/C governments have been cavalier in giving the green light to road projects at the local, regional and national levels which have failed to live up to normative professional standards going all the way back to the scandal-ridden Essequibo Coast Road of the mid-1990s to the recent Amaila Falls access road fiasco. Too often, supervision is woefully inadequate, penalties are not applied and the oppressed Guyanese taxpayer has to fund remedial work. The government only takes action when forced to or expedient as in the case with the Amaila contract.
The malady is a result of two distinct practices: the enriching of party supporters who are in many cases unqualified for the project and the need for urgency in the use of donor funding even though the requisite execution capacity is lacking. Prior to the November 28 General Elections, dozens of contracts were sealed under the CDB-funded CRIPS road programme and it will be interesting to see how this project progresses.
Millions have been wasted as a result of botched works and this has not been confined to roads but is a feature of other projects such as the bungled Supenaam Stelling and the recent, embarrassing and frightening revetment failure at Mabaruma.
Sterling project execution and supervision have not been hallmarks of PPP/C governments. Their denial of this is leading to the squandering of the scarce resources of Guyanese taxpayers as evident in the Amelia’s Ward roads.
One would have hoped that having lost control over the legislature and the concomitant need for a chastened spirit in dealing with public finances that the PPP/C government would have adopted a more exacting stance on the execution of public works such as those at Amelia’s Ward with the hefty price tag of $300M. Instead, there is a headlong rush to execute hundreds of projects following the passage of the slimmed down budget as the government positions itself for whatever may come this year. Hence the pages and pages of project notices for all 10 regions in the state-owned Guyana Chronicle in recent months. If these projects are going to be undertaken with the same kind of incompetence as Amelia’s Ward then the government via its various agents in the regions and communities will be throwing away good money at a time when its sanctimonious prating about the chopped budget continues in overdrive.
Public funds are not to be trifled with. Using treasury resources irresponsibly is an indictment of those in charge and fertile ground on which to be marked down by the public. Given the November 28 results there is an expectation, even if an optimistic one, that the government will get off its high horse and permit rigorous examination of its decisions, defend them and where necessary pursue defaulting contractors for poor work. The Amelia’s Ward project is an opening for the government to demonstrate a reformed outlook on the need for the public and watchdog groups to have access to the fullest information.
Will the CH&PA now deliver to the public the following:
*The required specifications for the Amelia’s Ward roads and the bill of quantities;
*The name of the supervisor of this project, their track record and the reports submitted thus far:
*The names of the contractors and whether they have since been summoned by the CH&PA over the poor work
*Were performance bonds taken out, what is the length of the defects liability period and the percentage of the contract sum set aside for liquidated damages?
One would hope that there would be no resistance to this and that the CH&PA would instantly discern that it has a responsibility to comply with any request for clarifying information on this matter. Whether or not the government has a reformed outlook on the stewardship of public expenditure – it is for the communities, civil society and the opposition to pressure the government. It would be useful to clarify lines of authority.
What exactly are the powers of the Region 10 Chairman and the IMC Head in relation to this case? Are they merely onlookers or do they have a formal role? The Ministry of Housing should welcome knowledgeable eyes and ears to the ground on projects such as the one at Amelia’s Ward.
And what of the opposition? Ignored for years in PPP/C controlled parliaments, the opposition now has a challenging opportunity to prove its mettle. The majority who voted for it naturally expects that it will pressure the PPP/C to justify the green light to contracts/contractors and to ensure that projects are properly executed and value for money obtained.
It should not be beyond the ability of the combined opposition to shadow each and every project that the government and the all-powerful regional executive officers preside over throughout the country. This is the type of responsibility that now befalls the opposition post November 28 and it must be prepared to show what it can do.
It can make an immeasurable contribution to the prudent use of public finances by keeping an eagle eye on all of these projects. It can then follow this up with regular reports to the public and parliament, a real expression of Article 13 of the constitution as opposed to the high- browed gratuitous references that are oftentimes made about it.
It must not be business as usual for the PPP/C as regards public finances. The Amelia’s Ward roads are but an example and one hopes that the Minister of Housing, Mr Irfaan Ali takes it on frontally. From the awarding of contracts, to their supervision, to examination of the final work and the seal of approval, the government should be kept on its toes knowing that thousands of eyes are watching.
