Dear Editor,
An announcement yesterday by the Regional Executive Officer (ag) , and former RDC chairman, Mr. Knights, of RDC # 7, that a contract was signed on the same day for one phase of the One -to- 4 Mile stretch of the Bartica-Potaro Road valued at $8M to BK International is of interest. It is instructive that the contract is expected to last 10 days.
First of all this is a mere election gimmick as this is basically a hurriedly done contract for patch work on a section of this road on the eve of the local government elections. One doesn’t know if this was publicly tendered. But one does know that the roads within the Bartica township are in deplorable condition and nothing has been done by the government, the Regional Administration or the Town Council, despite the cries of the Barticians.
In spite of a Parliamentary Opposition motion brought in July this year calling on the government to treat with urgency the abominable state of the interior roads especially Bartica to Lethem and Mahdia, the issue was treated with scorn by the Minister of Public Infrastructure and no or little work was done afterwards. Now at this last minute, patch work will be done to try to pacify Barticians and bring them back home to the APNU. This is a case of too little too late.
Most Interesting is who got the contract, BK International, the same company who got a multi-billion settlement by the government in 2016 for the Haags Bosch project for work that was not done.
Now the township is buzzing that BK vehicles are being prepared to fetch people out from the quarries and the township to attend the APNU Rally on November 3rd in Bartica.
As our national poet, Martin Carter wrote “the mouth is muzzled by the hand that feeds it”. So BK to the APNU rescue once again in election time ? Is this “pay back time” ????
People aren’t fooled anymore.
Yours faithfully,
Gail Teixeira, M.P.,
