UK to free up stalled aid – Quinn

With monies for infrastructural and other projects stalled since the December 2018 No Confidence Motion against the APNU+AFC government was upheld, the United Kingdom (UK) is swiftly pursuing measures to have those disbursed to the Irfaan Ali government to recommence the process, even as it looks at other areas to lend its continued support.

“Assistance that was on pause, we are very keen for that to restart. I am due to see the Minister of Public Infrastructure in the next couple of days because we are very keen to have that process restarted,” British High Commissioner Greg Quinn yesterday told the Stabroek News, as he wraps up his tour of duty here, which has lasted five years instead of three.

He was referring to projects here which fell under the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF). Under the Fund, the UK’s Department for International Development provided up to £300 million in grant financing from January 2016 to March 2020, to several Caribbean countries including Guyana. Guyana is to benefit from £53.2 million (around $16 billion) with the funds to be applied to six major infrastructure programmes, including waterfront development, water supply improvement and solid waste management. The CDB has been designated by the UK government to design, develop and implement the programme in collaboration with Guyana.

Quinn explained the design process for projects that included the initial design work for the construction of the road between Linden and Mabura and the bridge at Kurupukari are among others that have already been completed.

“There is a design process already, so we need to move from that to tendering and continue the work started on with smart health,” he said.

Other areas of assistance he said was to ensure the forestry certification process, “so that Guyanese [lumber] will be certified for export.”  In early 2015, a ban on lumber export, which was introduced by the Environment Agency (EA) in the UK, contended that proof of sustainable sourcing of Guyana’s forest products was inadequate and this had resulted in a drastic decline in exports of those products to the UK.

A technical note released by the UK EA to contractors for government-funded projects, among others, stated that it will apply the timber agreement policy rigorously and will only buy timber from legal and sustainable sources, which currently prohibits the purchase of new greenheart from Guyana.

As a result, in 2016, then Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman had indicated that the Government was putting plans in place to have representatives

travel to the UK in 2017 to “press our case.” In 2018, the Government reported that it had made a strong case but not much has been heard on the issue since.

Other areas of continued collaboration, Quinn said, were related to working with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) “to ensure that especially, taxpayers’ pay, really the large taxpayers’ pay what they should pay, and that GRA is able to ensure that whatever company pays its due.”

In the security sector, he said, works will continue. A security sector reform report which was handed over to former President David Granger since 2017 is yet to be made public.

Noted too was the setback following the conflict of interest issue with Sam Sittlington, the man hired by the UK to support Guyana’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

“SOCU, we supported from its creation under the PPP/C and we have supported [it] subsequently. I think it is part of the broader security support so we will look at what we can do with it going forward.”

“There has been part of a perception, PPP when in opposition, thought it was an institution doing witch-hunting… the perception is an important point. It is vital that all government institutions are not seen as operating in a political or partisan manner …and it is something that all government institutions are going to have be careful about because it doesn’t matter what, the reality is it also matters what the public’s perception is. I think that support to SOCU going forward is something we will look at as part of broader security support,” he explained.

Over the course of his five years here, Quinn said there were areas of bilateral cooperation and support from the UK “One is the broader terms of bilateral relationship… we have had ministerial visits here we have had the royal navy, Prince Harry, the president going to the UK. Guyana and (the) UK relationship we have seen a step up. We have pushed forward some security sector reform and a solid base we want to take forward with the new government. We have also seen UKCIF [Condition Improvement Fund] fund and work ongoing with health facilities to make them smart and self-sufficient, in terms of buildings,” he said.

And aside from country-to-country agreements, Quinn said that the UK has been facilitating, building, and fostering business partnerships between the two countries.

And Britain’s exit from the European Union would not hamper assistance from the UK as Quinn explained that there will always be a “process for discussion in the economic agreement.”

The UK he said, plans to continue works in the region and this is evidenced by the opening up of four new missions in CARICOM countries. “There has been a demonstration over the past twelve months of an increased interest, increased activity… in the Caribbean as well as Guyana and that is a very good thing,” he declared.