Skip to main content

October 17 2018

Source

Berbicians yesterday condemned the planned hikes in tolls to cross the Berbice Bridge and bus operators who ply the route between New Amsterdam and Rosignol said the move would likely put them out of work.

Denis Chesney, 68, who is President of the 56 Minibus Association, warned that if the bridge tolls are hiked, Berbice would be “getting a lot of thiefman now, because these drivers that got a family to maintain. Where they gon’ find money from?”

According to Chesney, persons who operate their own buses are making an average profit of $7,000 per day, while persons who are working other persons’ buses are making an average of $3,000 per day. “When you got to charge people about $1,000 to come across the bridge to clear you expense for the trip, then you gah pay gas and then pay dispatcher, what gon’ happen then?” he questioned.

Chesney laid the blame for the situation at the feet of the former government. However, he said, “I feel the government should take away the bridge and run the bridge.” He added, “I don’t think government should subsidise the price because they got teachers to deal with, nurses to deal with, then them got other things, soldier gon’ come up and them building infrastructure all over the place. How much this government can do?” 

Chesney explained that over 45 buses currently operate the 56 (New Amsterdam to Rosignol) route. However, he said, every day 21 operators stay at home. “…Because we don’t have the accommodation for everybody to work every day to make a reasonable sum of money, so we had to come to an agreement and every day a different group coming out so everybody can get work,” he added.

Aslam Bacchus, 48, a father of five children, also called on the authorities to intervene, while stressing that he would be affected tremendously. “It get people here working people bus and you got to give them $2,000 a trip and then you got to cross with $8,040 and then you got to full gas, that go run you around $11, 540 per trip plus we got to pay dispatcher. We okay for them keep it $1,900. This will affect us bad,” he stressed.

Nadira Sarswattie, who also operates along the route, stated that she too will be affected a lot. “People does ask back for them $20, much less if the fare gah raise,” she said. “How we go pay $8,040 when we barely working for a lil piece here? The money we working now can just pay the bridge fare, we go can’t get gas and fetch people free and push we hand in we pocket and buy gas.”

She was also fearful that passengers would not travel if the bus fares are increased in response to the new tolls.

Another bus driver, Ashraf Bassier, 36, said, “It will affect me and the passengers them a lot because they won’t be able to pay the crossing to come over the river.” “We won’t be able to work none day when that happen. We have a rotating system right now so everybody get a benefit to live. When that happen [the tolls], no one will be able to work and live,” he stated.

The father of four also noted, that he cannot afford to become jobless at this point, since his family depends solely on him.

Khemraj Persaud, 43, who has been a bus driver for nine years, added, “People nah go travel because them go can’t afford to travel from the bridge because of the cost. Right now is $260 and some people na even get the $260 to cross, so when it go raise people go can’t afford.”

When questioned, the man said he has no other job options. “This is the work me a do all the time and it go affect me a great lot.”

Maxwell Semple, Chairman for the East Bank Berbice Hire Car Association, stated that the increases in the toll would affect the general public. He said, “It will affect us, everybody, all drivers and passengers. When they put the pressure on drivers, drivers will then put the pressure on the passengers.” He added, “We need some alternative. Bring back the boat to help poor people.”

Semple said he believes the bridge company needs to take into consideration how a simple decision would affect the people of Berbice.

Dwayne Curt, 30, who operates the New Amsterdam to Georgetown route said, “It will affect me a lot because I is a poor man. I gah find $81,000 a month, plus I get two kids to take care of, so I done see that gon’ be a big [effect] for me.” 

The driver said that for one trip per day presently his expenses add up to an average of $7,000. “If you work one trip for the day, is like you ain’t work for nothing.” “I gon’ got to change route, look for other locations,” he noted.

Rookmin Seenarine, a roadside vendor, noted that she will close down her stand, which she has been operating in New Amsterdam for over 20 years because “when the fare raise me nah go clear nothing.” “Whole day you barely a get sale, much less when the fare raise. It na go make no sense for me sell,” she added.

‘Murder’

Meanwhile, David Armogan, Chairman of the Region Six council, condemned the increases, while saying they would be “murder” on the Berbice citizenry. “The people of Berbice can ill afford to pay anything new now because of the current economic situation in the region,” he said in an invited comment. “I would consider those rates as murder because if that thing goes through Berbice would be closed down.”

Armogan criticised the bridge company and he called on government to intervene immediately to ensure that there are no toll increases.

“Government has to intervene on behalf of the people. I don’t know what is the legal implication of it because I haven’t seen the contract [but] what I know is the implications and the difficulty our people will go through and, therefore, government has a responsibility to protect its people, and I hope government would intervene, so that this doesn’t take effect because the cost of living is high and this going to kill us.”

Poonai Bhigroog, President of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, told Stabroek News that after he saw the announcement of the increase, he wondered whether it was April Fools’ Day. “It is ridiculous! The Berbice economy is so badly off right now. Definitely this is the final nail in the coffin for Berbice,” he said.

He stated that at this point in time, there has to be some sort of negotiation done. “We have to go back to the drawing board because it is unrealistic,” he noted. “It will be automatic inflation because all prices will go up. People suffering right now and it will create a much unwanted impact on the Berbice economy.”

He further said, “Imagine people who are shipping rice to Georgetown, how much more they would have to pay in terms of crossing their trucks. Even the price for the commodities what we produce will change. People will not want to pay more.”

Mohindra Persaud, President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, who was in a meeting when Stabroek News contacted him, said it is an impossible increase.

Ryan Alexander, President of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Associa-tion, explained that his Chamber will discuss the increase at its statutory meeting, after which it will issue a statement.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Ha Ha, is dem PNC going to get the blame. Thats how politics play out. It was affordable during PPP time.

Berbicians: "PNC going to kill we again" "How come Linden getting free electricity ?"

"They campaigned to lower fares. How come they ain't keeping their promises ?"

Ha Ha. Politics is a funny game. It will come back to haunt the AFC/PNC. 

FM
Last edited by Former Member

Gov’t vows to fight major hike in Berbice Bridge tolls

Dr Surendra Persaud

October 17 2018

Source

The Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) yesterday announced that it would be instituting huge hikes in tolls as of November 12th, 2018 but Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson assured residents of the county that the government would do everything in its power to ensure that they pay no increases.

The increases follow several years of fruitless talks between the company and the government over the hiking of tariffs. The company has sustained significant losses.

Patterson yesterday voiced the administration’s belief that there are “political machinations” behind the move given that the date for implementation coincides with local government elections.

In announcing the increases at the NCN studio, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BBCI Dr. Surendra Persaud said the decision was based on legal advice that the company has received, while also noting that no prior adjustments were ever made, no surpluses have been earned, resulting in the required hikes in the tolls being compounded.

The table following shows the current and proposed new tolls:

Just a few hours after the BBCI’s announcement, Patterson called a press conference at his Wight’s Lane office, where he said his government would in no way allow the “unconscionable” increases. He informed that the views expressed on the issue are those of the David Granger-led Cabinet.

“My position remains the same. I will not be approving any toll increases for the Berbice River Bridge crossing and that is our position on that. We will be seeking legal advice from the Attorney General’s chambers on the legal implications on what is the power and authority under this Act,” Patterson stressed.

“I want to give all assurances to the people, especially in Region Five and Region Six, that the government will do all that is necessary to ensure that commuters can continue to use the bridge safely and without any particular undue harassment and tolls,” he added.

It is not the first time that BBCI has proposed increases. In July of this year, Persaud had said that under the bridge contract signed with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, the fares should have been raised in increments, which would have taken them to the figures now proposed.

He warned that the current APNU+AFC administration’s continued refusal of the hikes could lead to the company’s bankruptcy.

Budge

David Patterson

According to Persaud, the company met with Patterson last week and reiterated its views on the matter but Patterson would not budge on increases but indicated that government could service the bridge’s pontoons.

“The Board of Directors of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. met with the Hon. Minister of Public Infrastructure on Thursday (October 11th, 2018) to follow up on the Berbice River Bridge toll adjustments request, in accordance with the Berbice Bridge Act of 2006.The Minister, conveyed to the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. that the Government was not going to facilitate our request for the toll adjustment that is covered under the Public Private Partnership between the Government and the Private Investors in the bridge under the Concession Agreement,” Singh said in a statement to the press on the increases.

“The Minister, instead, proposed that Government undertake the responsibility, only, for servicing the bridge pontoons and offered to arrange a meeting with the honourable Minister of Finance for further consultation. These options are outside of the contractual arrangements that exist within the Concession Agreement and are in breach of our Agreement,” he added.

But Patterson said that the meeting was not to negotiate tolls but to inform the company of government’s intention to assist in servicing the pontoons, given the safety implications it could have for commuters if not done.

He said Cabinet has already approved the allocation of $90 million to be provided for in the 2019 national budget for the purpose of maintenance of the pontoons and another $140 million for the establishment of a loading facility for rehabilitation of the pontoons.

However, the BBCI said that not only does the amount to service the bridge pale in comparison to the subsidies to meet the proposed toll amounts, but that arrangement is not stated in its contract with government.

“These options are outside of the contractual arrangements that exist within the Concession Agreement and are in breach of our Agreement. The actual cost, in fact, of maintaining the bridge pontoons is a small part of the overall operational cost of the Bridge and would do nothing to improve the revenue of the Bridge,” Persaud stressed.

He lamented that the company has already lost $2.8 billion and has never paid a cent in dividends to its ordinary shareholders and is also in default of meeting obligations to stakeholders, such as the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). Persaud is also Chairman of the NIS Board.

Social implications

Emphasising that the company could only act in accordance with what it was contractually obligated to do, Persaud said that social implications are not factors stipulated in that contract.

He said that since the inception of the contract, his company has always acted as a responsible corporate citizen and has adhered to the requirements under the concession agreement.

The company, according to Persaud, cannot continue on an unsustainable path and its legal advisors, law firm Cameron and Shepherd, advised that it does what is within its legal remit and institute the hikes in the tolls. It was the law firm that also set the date and Persaud said that it had nothing to do with politics and the fact that the same day the country will hold local government elections.

But Patterson doubted that it was a mere coincidence. “There is political implication and political reasoning and political machinations behind this here,” he said.

He is urging Berbicians to lobby their political representatives to question former president and now Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, under whose tenure the contract was signed, to explain how he foresees them paying perhaps what is the “highest worldwide toll for a bridge.”

He said that government would also welcome discussions with Jagdeo and he should also be asked by if he was prepared to “come to discuss with government a solution” on how the proposed tolls could be reached. “Obviously, the genesis of this is squarely on what the opposition would have prepared and we are willing to listen [to him] since this is a document that he would have prepared and is his and their making,” he said.

Jagdeo has said that the government should pay the differential on the proposed higher tariffs or buy more shares in the beleaguered company.

Persaud said the government, “like it is currently doing with a number of services including the bridge,” can subsidise the cost of the toll, thereby reducing the impact on users.

In the meantime, Patterson assured resident that government would explore all options available and that they would not have to pay the huge tolls.  The bringing back of a ferry service was ruled out as not only is the old docking area dilapidated but the law also prohibits vessels from carrying vehicles across the Berbice River. “I want to assure the entire Berbice that we would do everything in our powers to ensure that this burdensome toll is not passed on to them,” he said. “The entire gamut of possibilities are open. I don’t know which one we will do this time but I do know that the outcome [is] there will be no fare increases to the people of Berbice,” he stressed.

 
Django

Bai DJ, you are making a terrible and incorrect assumption.

The AFC/PNC campaigned to reduce tolls. Berbicians na stupid, that mental asylum is to house the AFC/PNC. Dem na forget easily. I am a Berbician.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

So you rooting for segregation,is it a blurt ? or some deeper analysis was done on the repercussions.

Django

If Berbicians  are used as pawns for political gain and with employment so low, who do you think will suffer the most.

Why are politicians so rich, while the people who voted for them, remain poor and struggle to survive.

The blind will continue to follow the rich politicians, until they start voting on issues. 

Tola

Tola, how about we start asking about the AFC/PNC campaign promises to reduce the Bridge toll ? Change will only begin when we hold politicians accountable for their Election Promises. 

AFC/PNC cannot get a free pass here.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen.

Has this ever happen in the past in Guyana....where Guyanese want to break away? Its a damn big country. I believe the people of South Sudan broke away from Sudan...

I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam. The handful of people I spoke to seem to believe that life in Guyana is about George Town. 

Just wondering

V
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen.

Has this ever happen in the past in Guyana....where Guyanese want to break away? Its a damn big country. I believe the people of South Sudan broke away from Sudan...

I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam. The handful of people I spoke to seem to believe that life in Guyana is about George Town. 

Just wondering

"mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen."

Bai you foolish enough to buy snake oil ?

"I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam."

Bai, you lucky PPP built new roads, during PNC part one days, we used to take two days.

Smarten up wanna, stop buying snake oil.

FM
yuji22 posted:

Tola, how about we start asking about the AFC/PNC campaign promises to reduce the Bridge toll ? Change will only begin when we hold politicians accountable for their Election Promises. 

AFC/PNC cannot get a free pass here.

They did reduce the toll on the bridge. 

Mars
yuji22 posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen.

Has this ever happen in the past in Guyana....where Guyanese want to break away? Its a damn big country. I believe the people of South Sudan broke away from Sudan...

I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam. The handful of people I spoke to seem to believe that life in Guyana is about George Town. 

Just wondering

"mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen."

Bai you foolish enough to buy snake oil ?

"I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam."

Bai, you lucky PPP built new roads, during PNC part one days, we used to take two days.

Smarten up wanna, stop buying snake oil.

Just following up on Bibi's lead story here...he is a PPP supporter, but he saying de same thing, no?

V

One more thing Vish, you see that Berbice river ? We used to take up to 48 hours to cross it when going to the airport. Ask any Berbician about suffering under the PNC.

The PNC targeted Berbicians and treated them like second class citizens.

Yet a few foolish people think that they will vote PNC ? Dem need to check their brain cells.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Django posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

So you rooting for segregation,is it a blurt ? or some deeper analysis was done on the repercussions.

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Django posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

So you rooting for segregation,is it a blurt ? or some deeper analysis was done on the repercussions.

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

Hey hey hey...all dem Harvard degree yuh gat and family gat and yuh didnt know Mr Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr Jagdoe was givin ayoo wan project that cyant sustain de own revenue? Hey hey hey...

FM
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

mmmm....if as I keep reading all dem Berbicians in dire straits...alcoholism, drug abuse, neglect, etc, etc...    then dem people should consider secession...but dey have to have local leaders and a movement for such a thing to happen.

Has this ever happen in the past in Guyana....where Guyanese want to break away? Its a damn big country. I believe the people of South Sudan broke away from Sudan...

I remember it took a half a day for me to get from George Town to Amsterdam. The handful of people I spoke to seem to believe that life in Guyana is about George Town. 

Just wondering

It's a non-idea!  You don't just secede and declare your own country.  You will need friendly nations willing to recognize and lobby for recognition.  You have to do a lot of groundwork to test support or be prepared to fight a military conflict with the Govt and establish borders and declare yourself a state.  There is no agitation or case to be made for Bbce to become it's own country.

On your question, did it ever happen in Guyana.  Yes, the 1969 Rupununi uprising was an attempt to secede and Venezuela was behind it.

South Sudan had a long running ethnic conflict and the West encouraged the secession to weaken the Arab North and deprive them the oil revenue in South Sudan, who were mainly African Dinka!

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

jine the line 'madame' . . . alyuh New Industan is already a Prashad project

FM
ronan posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

jine the line 'madame' . . . alyuh New Industan is already a Prashad project

Not a bad idea.  Berbice could be the Kuwait of the western world.  

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
ronan posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

jine the line 'madame' . . . alyuh New Industan is already a Prashad project

Not a bad idea.  Berbice could be the Kuwait of the western world.  

not sure how alyuh gon birth this thing . . . Prashad wandering about GNI promoting duglarization with African wimmen

FM
Bibi Haniffa posted:
ronan posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbicians should Take their oil and run and live happily ever after.  Make Rosehall the capital.  Build a state of the art airport with their oil money to connect with the rest of the world.  The county has produced some of the most notable Guyanese citizens.  They deserve better.

jine the line 'madame' . . . alyuh New Industan is already a Prashad project

Not a bad idea.  Berbice could be the Kuwait of the western world.  

Dem wraang and straang, dem will bring dem army and take over the oil rigs. Army Lives Matter style.

FM
yuji22 posted: 

Dem wraang and straang, dem will bring dem army and take over the oil rigs.

rent this 'man' some testosterone . . . pleaazzzz

smh

FM
Last edited by Former Member
yuji22 posted:

People heard the AFC/PNC promises before. They campaigned to reduce tolls. Ha Ha.

Gyam Fiah.

Dummy, when will it percolate to the top of your consciousness that this is private property...gift from the crooked PPP that the AFC has no control over. I hope the return to subsidizing the boats and commission a few pontoons to move some cars. Let the bridge fail. Pensioners are not getting any money from it despite the PPP invested their pensions in it.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

I don’t believe at all in private partnerships to fund national infrastructure.   When it was being done I wrote against it.  That’s a flawed model.  

Govts should get involved in such partnerships in commercial projects. They can later extricate themselves and let private hands take over fully. 

FM
D2 posted:
yuji22 posted:

People heard the AFC/PNC promises before. They campaigned to reduce tolls. Ha Ha.

Gyam Fiah.

Dummy, when will it percolate to the top of your consciousness that this is private property...gift from the crooked PPP that the AFC has no control over. I hope the return to subsidizing the boats and commission a few pontoons to move some cars. Let the bridge fail. Pensioners are not getting any money from it despite the PPP invested their pensions in it.

 

Government can easily block the implementation of fee increases to cross the Berbice Bridge by refusing to sign the “toll order” which is required under the laws, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo says.

The Berbice Bridge Act 2006 stipulates that the toll order must be signed by the responsible minister before the rates can take effect, as was done by the then Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn.

The Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) Tuesday announced that it will be forging ahead with toll increases despite not having support from the Government, based on legal advice obtained from the Cameron and Shepherd Law firm.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson has since committed to fighting the increases, saying the Attorney General Basil Williams will advise the Government on its next step.

But Jagdeo told a news conference Wednesday afternoon that Minister Patterson’s commitment to “fight” the fee hike makes him appear as a “knight in shining armor” which, he believes, is a political ploy for the Local Government Elections on November 12, 2018 – the same day the increases are scheduled to take effect.

Jagdeo explained that the Chairman of the BBCI, Dr Surendra Persaud, is a staunch Alliance For Change (AFC) ally, and therefore he was most likely influenced by his Party to instigate the steep increases to deliberately “shock” commuters of the Berbice Bridge.

 

Dr Surendra Persaud (second left) at an APNU+AFC press conference in April 2015 [Inews photo]
“So they get one of their guys to scare the people in Berbice … and then the Minister comes in and says ‘I am opposed to it’. He is then the ‘knight in shining armor’ and a lot of people will say ‘this Patterson is a really great man’,” Jagdeo contended.

 

What does the contract say?

The operations of the Berbice Bridge company are governed by the Act and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract which was signed under the Jagdeo administration.

The BBCI is contending that the fee increases is provided for in the toll formula in the contract but the former president has rejected that justification.

 

Asserting that the Company is trying to “dupe” the public, the Opposition Leader says nowhere in the contract does it provide for the bridge tolls to be so high.

Displaying a bar graph extracted from the contract, he told reporters that only two years were entitled to increases of 6.4% and 17%, after which, the fees would have been adjusted downwards.

“That increase is not part of the contract…the toll schedule caters for minimum increases, nothing of this magnitude,” he stated.

Further, Jagdeo opined that the Company is generating more revenues than the projections in the contract, and therefore, increases of this enormousness, is not warranted.

However, the BBCI has been arguing that it is making losses in excess of $2.8B and has been unable to pay dividends to its ordinary shareholders.

In this case, Jagdeo says Minister Patterson needs to interrogate the Bridge Company on its financial status and why it is unable to meet its obligations. According to Jagdeo, this is what the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) would have done if it were in Government.

No apology

The former president says he has “no apology” for building the Berbice Bridge, especially under the current financial model, as it is a “transformational”.

He posited that the adjustments to the toll were never meant to be this exorbitant and argued that even if it reached heights which the commuters could not afford, a PPP Government would have intervened.

In fact, Jagdeo charged the Government to release the contract so the public can assess for itself whether it caters for such steep increases as is being proposed by the Bridge Company.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0
FM
Dave posted:
......No apology

The former president says he has “no apology” for building the Berbice Bridge, especially under the current financial model, as it is a “transformational”.

He posited that the adjustments to the toll were never meant to be this exorbitant and argued that even if it reached heights which the commuters could not afford, a PPP Government would have intervened.

In fact, Jagdeo charged the Government to release the contract so the public can assess for itself whether it caters for such steep increases as is being proposed by the Bridge Company.

Why direct this to me? The government already forced them to reduce the toll and subsidized alternative routes for school children to bring them to conformity. I do not know what jagdeo is talking about but it is apparently not precisely the case since the government had to resort to reopening the New Amsterdam stelling to thwart their raise the last time. If you know why a mere denial of the rates was not sufficient then tell me.

FM
D2 posted:
Dave posted:
......No apology

The former president says he has “no apology” for building the Berbice Bridge, especially under the current financial model, as it is a “transformational”.

He posited that the adjustments to the toll were never meant to be this exorbitant and argued that even if it reached heights which the commuters could not afford, a PPP Government would have intervened.

In fact, Jagdeo charged the Government to release the contract so the public can assess for itself whether it caters for such steep increases as is being proposed by the Bridge Company.

Why direct this to me? The government already forced them to reduce the toll and subsidized alternative routes for school children to bring them to conformity. I do not know what jagdeo is talking about but it is apparently not precisely the case since the government had to resort to reopening the New Amsterdam stelling to thwart their raise the last time. If you know why a mere denial of the rates was not sufficient then tell me.

If Jagdeo has anything to hide, why is he challenging the government to release the contract. 

The government should have plaster the contract on the front page ( chronicle ) this morning, to score some political points... don’t you agree.

I see you fail to address the sinister plot between AFC and the government as mention by Jagdeo.   

FM
Dave posted:
D2 posted:
Dave posted:
......No apology

The former president says he has “no apology” for building the Berbice Bridge, especially under the current financial model, as it is a “transformational”.

He posited that the adjustments to the toll were never meant to be this exorbitant and argued that even if it reached heights which the commuters could not afford, a PPP Government would have intervened.

In fact, Jagdeo charged the Government to release the contract so the public can assess for itself whether it caters for such steep increases as is being proposed by the Bridge Company.

Why direct this to me? The government already forced them to reduce the toll and subsidized alternative routes for school children to bring them to conformity. I do not know what jagdeo is talking about but it is apparently not precisely the case since the government had to resort to reopening the New Amsterdam stelling to thwart their raise the last time. If you know why a mere denial of the rates was not sufficient then tell me.

If Jagdeo has anything to hide, why is he challenging the government to release the contract. 

The government should have plaster the contract on the front page ( chronicle ) this morning, to score some political points... don’t you agree.

I see you fail to address the sinister plot between AFC and the government as mention by Jagdeo.   

Jagdeo had his time to do it. Now he is like Trump, claiming he was the greatest when everyone knew he was a crook.  I do not know the AFC has any plot to speak of. The plot was giving away some 25 million plus mortgaging the nations pension fund to a group that were his buddies plus leasing them the 25 hectares on the canje side so they can develop it. Also, the neglect of building a suspension bridge by the first turn in the river what would not have left New Amsterdam a ghost town is his doing. Address that not look for plots after lots of plotting was going on for a decade now. BTW, He also give them oil leases!

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

More hardships on the Berbicians...PPP stronghold. Kill dem coolie, abie deh pun tap now.  Govt fighting the increase? From 400% to 300%? Gimme a break!

FM
yuji22 posted:

From the very beginning, I stated that this was an AFC ploy. 

Jagdeo got caught with his pants down.  From the beginning there were concerns about the structure of this venture and now what people feared has proven to be valid.

Now run along and sing "baa baa black sheep, 4 legs good, 2 legs better" in true  Animal Farm style.

FM
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Berbice should secede from Guyana.  They have all the oil on their side.  

More hardships on the Berbicians...PPP stronghold. Kill dem coolie, abie deh pun tap now.  Govt fighting the increase? From 400% to 300%? Gimme a break!

Yes thanks to the PPP which entered into this scam to enrich Jagdeo and his merry band of bandits.  Jagdeo is now screaming that the increases should have been gradual.  This after removing anything that could compete with the bridge to force Berbicians and others to pay their toll.

FM

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×