“It’s unbelievable,” were the words of Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn, as he confirmed that the combined Opposition would gut from the national expenditures for 2013, the entire Transport Capital Programme under the Ministry of Public Works.

The House last evening worked way past midnight, working into the early hours of this morning, at which point in time A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Carl Greenidge, attempted to put forward a motion meant to slash the $5.35B allocation meant as the provisions for the modernization of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Government’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, immediately objected to the motion by Greenidge pointing out that it had in fact proposed to cut more money from the budget that had been allocated for the programme.
This conundrum forced Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, to call an immediate suspension of the House, to confer with the Clerk and other members after which he ruled that both motions by Greenidge and Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, pertaining to the CJIA cut were null and void.
The combined opposition at this point in time resorted to gouging from the 2013 estimates for the Ministry of Public Works, the entire Transport Programme to the tune of $5.63B.
‘Collateral Damage’ as a result of the cut of the entire programme includes a $175M allocation that had been provided for the completion and rehabilitation of a number of rural and coastal airstrips.
Also gutted from the 2013 budget as a result of the removal of the entire programme would be more than $80M for the purchase of equipment for Civil Aviation, while a commitment to the European Union in the form of $26.3M for final payment in relation to the Ogle Aerodrome project has also been slashed.
Former Labour Minister, Manzoor Nadir, prior to the vote on the programme, had suggested that there would be a high level of financial exposure and possible penalty as  a result of having denied monies for a project that is already under way and for which a contract is already in force.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, in a last ditch plea to the Opposition members in the House to reconsider the cuts, indicated that last year during the consideration of the estimates for 2012 budget, the Opposition had voted in favour of more than $4.5B for the mobilization of the very project.
Both Ministers Benn and Dr Singh stressed on numerous occasions, but to no avail, that every bit of information requested on the expansion of the airport had been provided to the ranks in the Opposition benches.
Alliance For Change (AFC) Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo, who also questioned the minister on the project, suggested that at the time of the affirmative vote last year, approving the monies for the project, it was unknown that there was no agreement in place for its financing.
To this end, Dr Singh sought to remind the House of the complicated processes involved in securing such contracts.
Speaker Trotman had also reminded the House that at the time of the debate last year, it was pointed out that Government did on that occasion say there had been a narrow window of opportunity which presented itself during the CARICOM/China Investment Summit, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Dr Singh, in attempting to edify the ranks in the Opposition on the process involved, said that  while there would have been an initial framework agreement with the Chinese Government when Guyana had submitted the airport as a priority project, there were still several aspects of the agreement still to be undertaken.
Dr Singh explained that in order for the China Export/Import (Exim) Bank to approve the loan, a contract had to be put in effect with a company from the lending country, and as such the contract had been awarded to China Harbour Engineer Company (CHEC) several months ahead of the actual loan agreement with the Chinese Exim Bank.
“It’s the practice and standard procedure,” argued Dr Singh as he explained that institutions such as ‘Exim Bank’ will not formally approve any loans unless there exists a contract between the borrower and a company from the lending agency.
Dr Singh also rubbished arguments that a better financing arrangement could have been had, saying with other institutions, the repayment of interest would have been much higher, coupled with a shorter repayment period.
Dr Singh assured the House that all loans entail conditions, but the concessions fall within  set criteria and threshold.
He said Guyana could have sourced the funding elsewhere, inclusive of funding the multi-billion dollar venture from the public purse, but the logical choice was the China Exim Bank in the context of the already agreed framework.
The AFC’s Nagamootoo had also sought to castigate the airport project saying that there were not enough airlines plying the Guyana route.
Public Works Minister Robeson Benn however dismissed this assertion as a reason not to build the airport.
Outside of the increasing passenger loads for which the terminal is already unable to adequately address, Benn said that the government is in discussions with a number of airlines ,inclusive of British Airways and Jet Blue.
He said that the airlines, specifically Jet Blue, has indicated in writing, its concerns over the length of the runway.
Benn said too that in addition, the expansion represented forward planning, given that the planes currently in operation around the world are being phased out and that Guyana would need to be in a position to accommodate the newer, larger aircraft.
Responding to APNU’s Greenidge, who also questioned the project in relation to employment and sought to juxtapose the Marriott experience, Benn said that there, is inherent in the contract a 60:40 provision, except in the case where specialist skills will be required.
This would mean that for every 60 Chinese workers to be employed by CHEC on the project, there will be 40 Guyanese employed; and according to Benn, over the life of the project some 600 Guyanese are slated to be hired.
Benn was grilled in relation to the various studies that would have informed the decision to go ahead with the project, and indicated that a good deal of the information was provided to the Opposition members already.
He assured that there is a feasibility study that has taken into account capacity constraints and runway length, among other factors, to accommodate larger and longer haul flights, among others.
APNU’s Joe Harmon, throughout the course of the consideration of the estimates, particularly as they relate to the expansion project, was provided with detailed breakdowns of the proposed expenditure.
The minister provided details on the more than US$7M that will be utilised on initial site preparation, investigations and designs; the more than US$5M required for addressing the terminal areas, and civil buildings, among other aspects inclusive of consultancies.
Harmon had also enquired of Minister Benn whether the various environmental studies and surveys had been completed, which Benn offered to make available to the Opposition.
By the end of the evening’s gruelling session, Speaker of the Assembly, in putting the vote to the House, indicated that the Opposition members had been advised of the magnitude of the decisions to vote down the entire head, a decision that it will have to live with.
With the exception of the voted down Transport Programme, each of the other expenditures for the ministry of Public Works and communication were approved, inclusive of funds for the completion of the Amaila Falls Access Road that had been threatened
(Read more in tomorrow’s Edition).