Declaring that there is a clear “disconnect” between the funds allocated in the Budget and the quality of projects executed on the ground, APNU Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan roasted the Government over the poor quality of infrastructure projects and substandard homes built in the country.

In his contribution to the Budget Debates on Tuesday, MP Duncan said from the Education and Housing sectors to Public Infrastructure, the country is littered with poorly executed projects. He said in some cases, some projects have been abandoned.

He said such is the case of the $2.6 Billion Hosororo Secondary School in Region One, which according to him, was abandoned by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration. 

Duncan said Government Ministers are “sitting in their ivory towers” and “pontificating”, while billions of tax payers’ dollars are being wasted due to lack of proper planning and the poor monitoring of projects.

“Billions of dollars are wasting away, and then you come back and ask for billions more and they say we are doing all these wonderful work,” MP Duncan said.

Pointing again to Region One, MP Duncan said residents of the district have had to contend with the deplorable state of the road between Moruca and Kwebanna because the Government is out of touch with the realities

“You know how the Government goes from Moruca to Kwebanna, they fly, they fly in chartered planes – that is why the road isn’t fixed; they fly in chartered planes,” he concluded.

In Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), MP Duncan said months after the more than $397 Million Paruima Airstrip was commissioned, contractors were called in again, after a plane got stuck on the airstrip.

Due to the substandard work done, Duncan said millions of dollars more had to be doled out to execute corrective works.

 “You know why the honorable minister went and opened the Paruima Airstrip, because when he opened it the first time, the first plane that land sunk in the airstrip. Y’all are wasting taxpayers’ money in the country. Don’t come and tell us you have to bring down the cost of food and you had to fix the airstrip, don’t do it,” MP Duncan said.

Turning his attention to the Housing Sector, MP Duncan said while the Government boasts of allocating a record 53,000 house lots, only 25,000 titles have been issued. He reasoned that more than 28,000 people who were offered house lots do not have legal documents for their lands.

It was pointed out that at Five Miles, Bartica, where Government is set out to build 100 homes, only 20 have been built and from all indications, the scheme has now been left abandoned. .

“They are supposed to build about 100, they have built 20 and of the 20, all got defects. A contractor was brought in to cure the defects and that contractor has abandoned the project. He has abandoned the project there,” he reported.

He said in other cases, housing schemes lack basic amenities regardless of where those schemes are located.

 “We have to give people the dignity of housing in this country, no longer can we give them land or not even house and land if you can’t flush the toilet in the house! We have to give them water, we have to give them electricity. People get house in LP Enterprise, they have to buy solar; they have to truck in water $8000 a barrel; security, soon as went there, the first woman we met said they does thief bad in here, security is poor. So, every house allocation should be met with light, water, put drainage and proper security at the minimum,” he said.

MP Duncan said on the contrary, Silica City, which he described as the Government’s “pet project,” has well paved roads, water, electricity, drainage and irrigation and security, although houses are unoccupied.

MP Duncan said the residents on the coast and those in the hinterland also want better roads and access to basic amenities as well. (Svetlana Marshall)

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