Minister Ali chides Nagamootoo for divorcing himself from reality – accuses him of being so caught up in political negativism that he spinelessly ignores facts
MINISTER of Housing and Water Mr. Irfaan Ali has slammed the recent comments from AFC Vice Chairman Mr. Moses Nagamootoo in relation to the construction of a new road linking the East Bank Demerara to the East Coast Demerara through an Indian Government line of credit, saying it is “quite a revelation”.
According to Minister Ali, Nagamootoo seems “divorced from the realities, from national priorities and developmental debates” that are ongoing in our society.
“Or is it that he is so caught up in political negativism that he ignores facts, available information and truth in a spineless effort to denigrate the invaluable contributions public officials make in pushing forward the developmental agenda of our country?” the minister questioned.
In his anti-developmental antics, Mr. Nagamootoo said that the project was a “fly by night idea” and that proper consultations and feasibility study are needed.
Minister Ali recalled that sometime ago he spoke of political maturity and leadership and “it is this type of immaturity that will not take our country forward”.
“Just for the record, let me remind Mr. Nagamootoo that this subject formed the discussion of many debate presentations. Most recently, in the 2014 National Budget presented by the Honourable Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, and in the debate that ensued after that presentation, many Members of Parliament on both sides of the House spoke on this subject matter and all of them supported the idea,” Ali said in a statement yesterday.
He added that Mr. Nagamootoo’s sly comment of a “fly by night idea” is baseless and was only aimed at discrediting the enormous contributions of President Donald Ramotar in finalising this line of credit from the Government of India during his recent visit.
Secondly, as was outlined in debate presentations in the National Assembly and answering questions of the Opposition, in addition to the countless articles in the national media on this subject, it was made clear that a detailed feasibility study was completed and submitted to the Indian Government for approval.
Minister Ali said it is very naÏve for Mr. Nagamootoo to believe that a project of this nature can just be approved without a detailed feasibility study.
“What bothers me is that the details of this project, through constant updates in the National Assembly and the media, seem to have avoided the notice of Mr. Nagamootoo,” the minister chided.
“In an effort to throw cold water on this tremendous accomplishment, Mr. Nagamootoo side-stepped the courtesies of acknowledging the hard work of employees in the public sector,” Ali asserted.
“This, I wish to correct, and in so doing, congratulate the team from the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), independent stakeholders, community planners, and community leaders who assisted tremendously in the finalisation of the project document and feasibility study that led to the approved financing for this project,” the minister said.
Knowing the vital importance it has for not only linking the East Bank Demerara to the East Coast Demerara but also the opening up of many opportunities, new lands, and linking the Ogle International Airport with major population zones, President Ramotar has constantly pressed the technical team to work assiduously in securing the approval of this project.
This process started more than three years ago and Minister Ali said he is personally delighted to have been part of it.
“There is an exciting future ahead for Guyana, but it requires maturity, vision and commitment to be realised. It is these characteristics that saw this major accomplishment between the Government of India and the Government of Guyana,” he countered.
“I conclude by once again congratulating all those who supported these efforts and look forward for the timely, expeditious and efficient completion,” the minister said.
