“IT is misleading and nonsensical to draw such a comparison,” were the words used by Government to dismiss an assertion by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), which suggested that there had been some kind of corruption red flag raised in relation to the Chinese partner contracted for the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.Government, in a strongly worded response to the GHRA’s release which attempted to attack the progress being made in the development of the Hydropower Project, lamented the association’s attempt at “drawing incorrect and misleading implications of a recommendation made for Norway’s Pension Fund.”

Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, also weighed in on the most recent attack in light of his recent push to revitalise the project and, according to the President, the colonialist mentality of some in the Opposition is appalling.

In an invited comment to this newspaper, he again drew reference to the tremendous benefits of this major developmental project should it be realised. The President said that the very Opposition that is now seeking to derail the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric project are the very ones that had attempted hydro in the past and failed.
He noted that the recent attacks on the Chinese Contractor partnered with the Guyana Government for the Construction of the Amaila Falls project, is yet another manifestation of the xenophobic nature of some in the political Opposition.
According to the President, each project that government has partnered with the Chinese has attracted criticism, many times unjustified. President Ramotar also made it clear that his Government remains committed to delivering the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.
It was pointed out that in the latest salvo by the Opposition-aligned NGO, its allegation is largely based on a corruption case in China that involves state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC).
It was made pellucid that CREC is a parent company of China Railway Group (CRG), which is in turn a parent company of China Railway First Group (CRFG).
It is this company China Railway First Group, who is the actual partner on the Amaila Falls Project.
According to the statement released Thursday evening by Government “the main parent company, CREC, is one of the world’s largest firms and has hundreds of subsidiary firms under its umbrella…Therefore, it’s very misleading and nonsensical to draw such a comparison with the partner company of the Amaila Falls Project.”
Government, in rebutting the claims by GHRA, firstly alluded to the fact that the NGO failed to point out that the Amaila Falls Project, by virtue of being developed under the governance of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will adhere to that Institution’s strict and internationally recognised standards.
“As a member of the IDB, the Government of Norway endorses IDB’s policies including its financial and fiduciary safeguards,” the Government posited.
It also noted that the integrity concerns raised by the NGO are based on allegations made for projects taking place in China and the safeguard policies for those projects are very different from the strict IDB safeguard policies followed in the Amaila Falls Project.
It was explained for instance that, in the recommendation quoted by the NGO, it is stated that
“…The CRG [has not] established a whistleblowing mechanism that allows all employees to give notice of corruption incidents anonymously and without the risk of subsequent sanctions.”
According to Government, “the IDB has strong mechanisms to protect whistleblowers.”
Government used the opportunity in rebutting the misleading statement by the GHRA to reiterate that it follows high standards and will continue to defend against baseless attacks that try to derail Guyana’s development.
“The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project has best in class international partners and is being developed according to the highest standards, and it will deliver transformative social and economic benefits for the people and economy of Guyana…The Government of Guyana remains fully committed to realising these benefits for all Guyanese.”
The erroneous assertions initially released by GHRA were repeated by two private dailies. The Kaieteur News regurgitated the GHRA’s avowal under the caption: “Stalled Amaila Falls hydro project…Norway’s Ethics Council warns of corruption with Chinese company.”
The Stabroek News’s article was captioned “Norway ethics body blacklists parent company of proposed Amaila builder – recommends it be excluded from country’s sovereign fund.”
President Ramotar only recently reiterated that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project remains the number one priority of his administration and he remains hopeful the mega-project would become a reality.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power station at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara recently and said efforts are being made to restart work on the transformative project before year-end.
He said a lot of work has already been done on the project, and he pointed out that Norway has already transferred US$80 million to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in this regard.
“We have already identified another company to step into the shoes of Black Stone and Sithe Global. We are working feverishly to conclude this arrangement, so that, hopefully, we can start construction very soon,” President Ramotar said.
He pointed out that, through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) agreement with Norway, some US$150 million of the US$250 million have already been disbursed to Guyana.