Once again, during yesterday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Guyana stood at the threshold of what must be described as a golden opportunity, not only for the further anchoring and advancement of the transformative process, but also assuring this nation’s access to a permanent supply of renewable energy.  
This  view is emphatic since one expected that the Parliamentary political Opposition parties would have both joined with the Government, yesterday, in ensuring the passage of two  very important pieces of legislation, most vital to the Inter-American Development Bank’s approving funding for the biggest socio-economic  project ever  undertaken in the history of this nation – the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.
Given the prohibitively high costs of fossil fuel, and the fact that such an item forms a significant fraction of a nation’s annual expenditure, there is no nation that will not welcome the alternative of hydro-power. This fact is well known by especially APNU, the main Parliamentary Opposition party.
Let us be clear on the aspect of national development: that political differences of whatever ideological shade must not impede its progress, since whatever are the benefits can only accrue to the citizens of that particular state. This has been repeated so many times, as a reminder to Opposition political parties in Guyana, that another should not be made.
Yet given the continued nature of the Opposition track record in holding critical socio-economic projects to ransom, it is inevitable that one must again sound this clarion call to the sanctified ideals of nation first.
For a senior APNU Opposition spokesperson to state that his party will not be rushed into supporting the Bills bespeaks of a parliamentary culture that is cavalier and callous, as it pertains to matters of economic development, albeit on the very important issue of alternative source of energy.
That the Executive has been sharing data with the parliamentary political parties and other stakeholders is well documented. Even volumes of documentation have been given to both APNU and the AFC, for their scrutiny and guidance. To note further is the fact that, on a request from this same senior Opposition personality, he and some of his colleagues were taken on a tour of the roadway that leads to the Amaila Falls. There was even a post-visit statement issued in the media that expressed satisfaction with the visit.
Therefore, one does not follow the illogical position of the AFC, that the IDB must approve the loans, for it to give its parliamentary approval. That is demanding an unfair position of this lending institution. It is incumbent that all parties express their unanimous approval, hence affirming their unqualified interest and support for a project of national transformative proportions.  
Given the IDB’s known concern about environmental matters, the passage of the Hydro Electric Power (Amendment) Bill 2013 is mandatory since it allows for the creation of a protected area for biodiversity conversion. This is a reported prerequisite for IDB Board approval of the project.
The second legislative piece, The Guarantee of Loans (Public Corporations and Companies) Act authorises government to raise its guarantee limit from $1B to  $150B (US$750M) that is needed to guarantee the  GPL honouring its  commitment in accordance with the  Powder Purchase Agreement to be joined  with AFHI,  the local company that will be managing the project.  So, one will undoubtedly understand why both Bills are prerequisites for the IDB approval of funding.
What is so difficult for the parliamentary Opposition parties to understand about a project that is about Guyana and its people?