Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:10 AM
Jul 16, 2022 News
Kaieteur News – Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan is urging Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, “come off the scene,” as it regards negotiations on the proposed 165 mega watts (MW) Amaila Hydropower project, especially since recent allegations of bribery and corruption surfaced with the Vice President being the subject of a Vice News documentary to this end.
In fact, the AFC Leader has joined with his political partners in the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), in calling for Jagdeo to be removed from office to allow for a full-fledged independent investigation into the allegations that were made.
During an AFC held a press conference yesterday, Ramjattan in response to a question by this publication, explained that the party does not support the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model for this specific project, as there is no guarantee that it could benefit the people, after the 20 years period in which the owners would be cashing in from a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), by selling electricity to the Government.
Added to that, he argued that the Vice President should not be leading the way on this front. According to Ramjattan, “we are objecting to a BOOT arrangement; but he (Jagdeo) wants to get something done, that is why this fella is so urgent with this BOOT arrangement and there might be more than the mortar in the pestle, in concerning BOOT arrangements with the Chinese especially in the context of what Vice News brought out and so he should come off the scene.”
He told reporters that President Irfaan Ali should remove Jagdeo, even though he may consider himself an asset to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). Ramjattan in fact argues that the Vice President has become a liability to the incumbent administration.
Ramjattan contends, “Jagdeo shouldn’t be there dealing with (the Amaila project) even if it was the best of methods, Jagdeo being the personnel dealing with it makes it tarnished and questionable.”
To qualify his doubts over the model in which the Vice President is determined to use to pursue the Amaila project, the AFC Leader pointed out, “my objection to it, is that BOOT arrangements sometimes can lead to very high costs, and we don’t know if they are gonna make a BOOT arrangement—that is the actual Amaila falls or whatever is the project—that is durable because you can have the Chinese or any other American (or) British, making something by a BOOT arrangement that lasts just the term where they get back their money, and then when the country takes it over, the thing starts bruk down.”
As a consequence, the former Minister of Public Security pointed out that the project must be properly vetted by environmental and engineering experts, to ensure the durability, so that when it is transferred to the government, it remains viable, even after the contractor would have benefitted.
On Monday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo related that negotiations with China Railway First Group had been terminated, with the Government of Guyana shifting its focus on the Gas to Energy project.
Jagdeo, at the sidelines of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference related that, “we have to go back to the drawing board and then possibly retender at some point in time at the future.”
Notably, the Vice President said, the administration is fixed on securing another BOOT arrangement.
When was pressed for a timeline on when government plans to invite proposals for the Amaila project, Jagdeo said it was too early to say, since, “we have been busy trying to move forward the Gas to Energy project as you can see.”
The Amaila Falls project was planned to generate some 165 MW of electricity to the national grid.
China Railway had already been awarded the contract through the National Procurement and tender Administration Board (NPTAB), however the contractor had as late as April 22, last, written to the government “saying that they are having a hard time doing the BOOT contract and they want to shift to an EPC plus finance” option instead.
The Chinese bid, Jagdeo said, had committed to 7.7 Kwh. The project was estimated to cost some US$750 million, which would have been repaid to the contractor over the 20 years period that the country would have been buying power.
Independent probe
Meanwhile, Ramjattan in joining the call for an independent probe into the Su-scandal, said “the AFC notes a perverse, barefacedness about Jagdeo’s support for a probe. What else could he say? This is the presumptuous and cavalier answer, he, like everyone who is caught red-handed would respond with but it is the manner with which he shrugs it off. It does not bear down profoundly on him that wrong was done, even if only by having the people at his home.”
Ramjattan insisted that an ethical leader would have offered an apology to the Guyanese people, however a probe by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has instead been promised. In this regard, the AFC Leader said the party would not be comfortable with an investigation being conducted by the Police Force, especially since it does not support the way in which the GPF have conducted recent probes, citing the Quindon Bacchus case as an example.
As such, Ramjattan suggested the World Bank’s investigative arm, saying “the World Bank has serious people who know how to investigate corruption, and that unit of the Bank knows what to recommend to be done, President Irfaan Ali should call on the World Bank to probe this matter.”
He also believes that an investigation by the global financial institution could save Guyana some funds by avoiding a costly Commission of Inquiry (CoI) as well as avoid a questionable report, if conducted by local Commissioners. As an alternative, the former Minister insisted that an international reputable list of Commissioners be hired, to carry out the investigation. “Absolutely not,” should the VP remain in office as the allegations are probed, Ramjattan added, explaining “what is good for the goose must be good for the gander.”
“If it was any other person who were to be probed like this, that person would have had to be interdicted from office. He or she had to move out from that office or position. It is also politically, the correct thing to do or the ethical thing to do,” he reasoned.
Nevertheless, the AFC Leader lobbied that the independent investigation should produce a comprehensive set of recommendations to address systemic corruption in Guyana, recommendations that will highlight the boundaries not to be crossed by politicians and consequences to be endured for crossing such lines.
“A probe ought to spell out for us how the affairs of the nation must be carried out by politicians, so that the pall which has fallen over public integrity must not be continued. The probe must also tell us the damaging effects and corrosive impacts which occurred when implicit blessing is given to such political practices and the need for a more robust public outrage whenever these practices occur,” Ramjattan outlined.
The AFC Leader also criticized Head of State, President Irfaan Ali, for only promising to go after investors who use “middle-men,” labeling the position as an avoidance and invasion of the main issue.
In fact, Ramjattan argued, “this is but a strategy, only to perpetuate corruption in high places. It is hard to chase or convict bad guys when you are babysitting the boss. Why go after the small fry like investors or middle-men when the entire corrupt scheme could be disfigured and discontinued by displacing the boss?”
He suggested that the better route would be to “criminalize the practices of that unwholesome politics of the boss, who makes friends with the Su’s of the world and then gives them access to meet them at his home; the AFC urges the President to go after the shark not the small fry.”
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