Govt. is a set of drunken sailors with tax dollars
- “Court house $46M price tag is totally ridiculous” – Harmon
A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition has yet again expressed disappointment in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government for its “irresponsible” utilization of tax dollars.
The court house
The grievance is now with the amount of money used to construct a flat building to house the No. 51 Village Magistrate’s Court. While the coalition has no problem with the construction of a courthouse, it believes that way too much money has been spent to construct such a building. During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News yesterday, one of APNU+AFC spokespersons, Joseph Harmon said that the amount of money quoted for the construction of the building is totally ridiculous. Harmon said that the quotation of that exorbitant amount surely represents yet another scam being pulled off on Guyanese. “The PPP/C has been taking advantage of the electorate and will do so even more now that Parliament has been dissolved. It is a scandalous act…This government is like a set of drunken sailors with the taxpayers’ monies.” The politician, who also practices civil law, said that it is “impossible” for the building to cost $46M, and questioned, “What the cement has inside, Gold and Silver?” Harmon said that the No. 51 Village courthouse reminds him of the NIS building where the roof cost taxpayers “an arm and a leg”. Further, Harmon recalled that the government claimed that it paid $424,000 per toilet bowl procured for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project. He said, “God knows if the toilet bowls for the courthouse cost the same amount as those procured for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project.” “This is the so called respect they have for taxpayers and they are just investing in these things only to cream off the bulk of the monies to gift to certain sections of the electorate during the election period,” he added. Harmon expressed optimism that the PPP will be unseated and such acts will not continue at the expense of taxpayers as “this will be corrected come May 11…Trust me, when the APNU+AFC assumes office, all these scandalous contracts and projects will be reviewed and those responsible will have to face the music.” In all the reports from government associated media houses on the multi-million dollar building, little was said about what facilities in the building had jacked up the price to $46M. According to reports, the flat building is “state-of-the-art” and is said to be “fully air-conditioned, equipped with an internal Police outpost and has a briefing area for Prosecutors.” The No. 51 Village Magistrate’s Court was constructed next to the old court building by Ramesh Kissoon Contracting Company between February and August 2014. As the President commissioned the building, he said that over the past five years, government upgraded all the Magistrate’s Courts in the country and soon the new court house at Lethem will be commissioned. Before the end of the year, the Magistrate’s Court at Plaisance will also be upgraded, the President said.