Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 12, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
The tip of an iceberg is a phrase we often use to describe something much bigger than it appears. This is so because an iceberg is really a very large piece of ice hidden below the surface, and the tip above the water that’s visible for all to see, does not indicate just how large the iceberg really is.
Like a cancer that grows inside of you and is diagnosed only after your health begins to fail, the Jagdeo Administration is sucking the life out of this country. And like an iceberg, no one knows exactly how big and systemic the problem really is, ‘cause all that we’re seeing… is really the tip of the iceberg.
For years, the independent media have been exposing Government’s shady deals and the awarding of contracts to friends of the administration; and for years, they have been trying to get details of the contracts awarded without much success.
Apart from the few brave journalists and letter-writers, the opposition parties and Presidential Want-To-Be’s don’t seem to care; they’re missing in action… their silence is deafening.
Peeping Tom in his article, “The Price is The Issue” (KN Jan 9th), pretty much covered the points I wanted to make on Tony Vieira’s letter “GPL could have saved US$3M on Wartsila generators” (KN Jan 7).
I must also remind readers that just over a year ago, in December of 2009, a US$27.5 million 20.7 megawatt generator was commissioned at the Guyana Power & Light (GPL) plant at Kingston, and despite assurances given by then by GPL Chairman Winston Brassington that “blackouts due to generating capacity would end”, President Jagdeo announced the need for an additional power plant costing taxpayers another US$20 million to alleviate the ongoing problem of increasing blackouts and unstable power supply.
Last Monday, CEO of Guyana Power & Light, Bharat Dindyal in defending his decision not to purchase the generator from Sunil Bakshi, President of Power and Energy Works LLC in Florida, explained that what was being offered by Bakshi was smaller, incomplete and inadequate, and would have cost GPL an additional US$3.2 million “given that in excess of 20 pieces of critical equipment as well as civil works were not included in the proposal.”
This may be so, but Sunil Bakshi is equally convinced that what he had offered, was exactly the same 15.68 megawatt generator that GPL will be paying Wartsila US$3 million more for.
Because there is so much distrust in the way this Administration functions, it is difficult to take anything this Government says at face value. As such, it may be necessary for Sunil Bakshi to make public his offer to GPL; and Bharat Dindyal to publish the correspondence stating the reason/s he declined that offer. I feel sure that Kaieteur News would be willing to give both prominent coverage.
This takes me back to an article published in Kaieteur News on January 1 “GPL Engineer’s estimate draws angry reaction”. An engineer from GPL estimated the cost of construction for the foundation to accommodate the proposed 15.68 megawatt generator at G$120,784,220. When compared to the bidders, BK International submitted a ridiculously overpriced amount of $208,976,800., but three others realistically bid amounts much lower than the estimate given by the GPL engineer.
In fact, the GPL engineer’s estimate exceeds the lowest bid by over $60M. When asked to explain the discrepancy, GPL’s CEO Bharat Dindyal said “he would not want to fault the engineer’s estimate since the man used factors that may not be relevant today but which were applicable to other foundations. He added that the previous foundations influenced the relatively high engineer’s estimate.” (end of quote from KN).
What would it take for Mr. Dindyal to admit that his engineer is either totally incompetent, or had deliberately jacked up the price so that someone (or a few) could benefit from a cutback.
We may never know; but one thing is certain: This engineer should not be writing any more estimates, and should have his services terminated by GPL.
Given the billions that are being handed out to contractors producing shoddy work; the $500M Supenaam Stelling among others, this may well be a long established practice by this PPP/C Administration, one that the Guyanese people are not aware of, for all that we know, corruption and all, this may well be… just the tip of the iceberg.
Harry Gill
Editor’s note: The GPL has explained its decision. It hosted a press conference and openly challenged the proposal by the Miami-based power company.
LISTEN HOW JAGDEO WILL MAKE ALL GUYANESE RICH!!!
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