What’s happening with the fibre optic cable project? – Harmon asks Ramotar

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Joseph Harmon, is calling on the Project Manager

Project Manager of E-Governance Unit, Alexei Ramotar

of the E-Governance Unit, Alexei Ramotar, to be respectful towards the citizens of Guyana and at least let them know the status of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) project, commonly referred to as the Fibre Optic Cable Project. At his most recent press conference, on Friday, APNU Leader, David Granger, highlighted some of the failings of controversial projects that the government pursued. The ICT project was one of those he identified. Granger said, “This project managed by the President’s son, Alexei Ramotar, has already missed numerous deadlines for its completion. The government underestimated the massive 560-kilometre project and its completion is in doubt. It was originally expected to cost about US$32M.” Harmon, commenting on the state of the project, said that it is totally unacceptable for the Guyanese public to be left out of the loop on projects that attract their tax dollars. He said, “In March, the Prime Minister declared that US$600,000 was left in this major project and that they were then calling in an international company to review what has been done. Up to now we don’t know what happened; whether the company came; what is the cost of the work they had to do, whether in fact that US$600,000 has had been spent…and the project is still to be completed.” Harmon added that it would only be right for the officials to explain to the Guyanese nation what went wrong. “Minister (Ashni) Singh, the Minister of Finance, and Alexei Ramotar must face the nation and say what has happened to this project, where is it now and where are we going to get the rest of the money to finish it,” Harmon said. Government’s ICT project was expected to conclude last year end after missing its September deadline. Late last year Alexei Ramotar, Project Manager of E-Governance Unit, said that foreign companies were lending their expertise, by examining the laying of fibre optic cable along Guyana’s rough terrain. He said that the cost for the project may significantly increase since local contractors who had bid for the project initially had underestimated the task. Apparently, the laying of a metre of cable could costs US$40 while local contractors had bid way less.

APNU MP, Joseph Harmon

The Project Manager said contractors had complained about the small sum they had bid for the project but government continued with their tasks nonetheless. In the end, only DAX Contracting and Dynamic Engineering completed their works satisfactorily. Sections executed by Mekdeci Machinery and Construction (MMC) and G. Bovell Construction Services have to be redone. According to Ramotar, the contractors who executed poor quality works have not been paid in full for their works and Government’s lawyers are reviewing certain aspects of the contracts. Then earlier this year the government disclosed that it was revisiting its design for the laying of the cables. Nothing has been made known since then.