Dear Editor,
The reflection arose out of a recent announcement that the Minister of Public Works had terminated a road project that contradictorily had not yet started after some eight months, presumably with advance payment.
Logic suggests that the default should be with the technical monitors within the Ministry. The question must therefore be asked what accountability system exists that allows such a substantive reporting lapse – an issue that requires an appropriately public explanation from a most assertive Minister, who having learnt this lesson should urgently consider developing a table for public explanation not unlike the daily COVID 19 report.
First of all, it would be useful to summarise:
a) Number of related contractors registered with the GRA before 2020
b) Number of contractors registered with the GRA since 2020
c) Identify by Region
i. Number of projects, each of projected timeframe
ii. Number of contractors
iii. Projects completed – over respective periods of time
iv. Projects to be completed within specified periods
v. Relevant penalties involved if particular project is in default
vi. Numbers of monitoring technicians assigned to each project
vii. Whether there is any performance rating completed to
justify the retention of all these monitors indefinitely
The Minister could set an example for related colleagues. Guyanese deserve to be accounted to in relation to promises–like GOAL. As everyone should now ask why no report on successes from GOAL scholarships awards since 2020.
Yours faithfully,
E.B. John
