Guyanese travel the world to sustain their families while Govt. gives away our assets

DEAR EDITOR, The gifting of the US$30m taxpayer-funded fibre optic cable from Brazil to Dax Contracting Services should be condemned by every Guyanese. There is no limit to the extent the PPP Government would go to transfer state assets to their friends. The transfer of the Sanata Textile Mill property to a friend of the former President for G$600M after taxpayer-funded refurbishment of a similar amount, the sale of Duke Lodge Hotel to a friend of the former President after G$90M was spent on refurbishment, an expenditure in excess of G$100M per month to cover Marriott Hotel’s expenses after spending US$58M in capital cost, the gifting of US$30M from NIS to Clico, the Trinidadian firm, a US$200M Skeldon Sugar Factory which now has Guysuco bankrupted – all while telling us “show the evidence” the list of incompetence, fraud and corruption in the past 22 years –  is endless. Guyanese must understand why we remain the poorest in the region with a per capita income of less that US$4000 per annum, and have no decent level of health care nor pension. Why and how long would we continue to allow a corrupt group to loot our assets and destroy our country? Guyanese travel all over the world in search of jobs to sustain their families while our Government levies repressive taxes and gives away our assets to their friends. The Donald Ramotar administration recently warned that no increase in salaries or reduction in taxes is possible without a deep fiscal deficit, in response to the APNU/AFC’s plans to do so if elected, but spare no moment in laundering our taxes on uneconomic projects, the object of which is to transfer these to their friends. In the case of the fibre optic ýcable, the explanation by Roger Luncheon to the local media is even more absurd. This apart, where was the justification to spend US$30M on such a project in the first place when current local capacity far exceeds local demand? By what process was Dax selected? Why the need to rehabilitate recently installed cables before being put to use? Isn’t Dax, as the Contractor, liable for such corrective works in the first place? What is the financial capability of Dax to insulate the Government of Guyana from legal liability and cover maintenance cost? Would Roger Luncheon publish Dax’s balance sheet from its last GRA filing to show its financial capability? Wouldn’t much needed legislation (delayed by the administration) to liberalize the telecommunication sector combined with fiscal incentives for private investments have been a better option? And why does an entire nation have to wait until its Government makes up its mind on the timing of such legislation when Digicel has for more than five years justified this by promising more than 60% reduction in current rates for local and international calls and other benefits to us and our economy? Isn’t it a shame that despite massive public spending on this sector Guyana is the only country in the region whose telecommunication operates on two G networks instead of 4G.This shows the motivation of the Government and those whose interest it serves by compromising the interest of the masses. This gifting of taxpayers’ assets is unpatriotic, corrupt and criminal. Guyanese must spare no effort in removing this corrupt Government and review transactions like the one with Dax. Robert Badal