OPPOSITION Leader David Granger, in responding to the call by US Ambassador D Brent Hardt for support for the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project (AFHEP),  is reported to have said that “my interest lies with Guyana and its people.” But this expression of nationalism seems to be more of a lame excuse than a demonstration of any genuine interest

in the progress and development of Guyana.

David Granger,

Granger, in the two debates in the parliament (July 18 and August 7) did not make a single statement. In fact, no A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian spoke on July 18 and just a few spoke on August 7. This was clearly a display of the contempt in which the Opposition holds the Guyanese people.
Granger himself has given no explanation for this opposition to the amendment of the debt ceiling bill or the hydro power bill. Why has he avoided the debate? Is it because he is aware that the project is good for Guyana? Is he afraid that the government will get kudos from this and he does not want that?

If that is the case, then surely that is anti-national. It also displays a narrow-mindedness and pettiness that are truly unworthy of a leader and an Opposition that wants to be the government of this country.

We have already had experience with them in office. They ruined Guyana. That attitude shows why. It also demonstrates that they have not changed and if, God forbid, they ever put their hands on the levers of government again, we can expect a repeat performance of destruction.

So far we have heard no coherent response to some simple, straight forward positions on the project. The country will not incur any debt for this project. It is mainly a private sector investment. The guarantee has nothing to do with government borrowing. It is a commitment to ensure that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) discharges its obligations to pay for the power purchased.

That is a no-brainer, since GPL is generating power at 19-20 cents (US) per kilowatt and will buy at 10-11 cents (US) from the hydro company. In all likelihood, GPL will never default given the substantial savings to its current cost.

Guyana will have great savings. Subsidies will go - the $3 billion for Linden and the $6 billion for the rest of the GPL customers will be eliminated. The huge oil bill to import fuel to generate electricity will be significantly reduced.

The money would go to other areas for greater socio-economic development and a better quality of life for all Guyanese. The consumers will pay much less for power. It is expected that bills will fall by between 20-40 percent in the first place and continue downwards to 90 percent of today’s bills.

Blackouts could almost be totally eliminated. Experience has shown that cheap electricity stimulates manufacturing and the creation of jobs for our people, mainly our youths.

These are only a few of the benefits that hydro power can bring. These are what the People’s National Congress (PNC)/APNU-led Opposition has deprived us of. Granger is trying to hide this betrayal of the Guyanese people behind nationalistic sounds.

The reality is that even if this US Ambassador is representing his country, since Sithe Global and Blackstone are US companies, his position on this issue coincides with the national interest of Guyana. It is the PNC/APNU and the Opposition as a whole that are anti-national in this instance.