Dear Editor,
Despite all the drama of the budget hearings and the slashing/savings to taxpayers of some $35B, one has to ask if the opposition is really asking the right questions of a government that seems fixated with big wedding cake projects ‒ the airport expansion, the Amaila Falls, the Marriott. Take for example the airport expansion, at a cost of some US$150M. Minister Benn had compared the expense of the project to the recently built airport in St Martin, justifying that the extra cost was because that airport only had four sky walks, whereas the new Timehri airport would have eight. Well, St Martin currently processes 1,7m travellers per year; Timheri, 550,000.
As for Amaila Falls it is surprising how unquestioning the opposition has been on the fundamentals of the project. Firstly there is no indication that despite the massive budget it will result in lower tariffs for consumers, in part because the cost of the private equity investment will be extremely high. And as has been stated over and over it is commercial and technical losses that have plagued GPL for decades and this project cannot address these.
So while it might be argued that a new airport would be good for travellers and the image of the country and a hydropower project a (not too certain) long term benefit, the question that must be asked is what else could be done with those funds ‒ the opportunity cost.
What could be otherwise done with the airport’s US$150M? Aside from the obvious improvements that are desperately needed in the health and education sectors, perhaps a fraction of that money could be spent on creating 100 playgrounds and parks in villages across the country.
These would be places where in the afternoons young children could go on swings and play sets, while their guardians sit on park benches. Teenagers could play on a basketball or an all-weather football court. This might seem an insignificant proposal but it is the creation of such spaces that can transform communities and create a genuine sense of well-being.
It is time for a real debate about what development in Guyana should be. New hotels, hydropower projects and airports? Or is it a development that places at the forefront the improvement of the everyday lives of Guyanese?
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
