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THE Parliamentary Opposition continues to send mixed signals of their support for Guyana’s Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, despite the “whole of Guyana” standing firm on the project, Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr. Roger Luncheon observed yesterday. Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press conference at the Office of the President, in Georgetown, he said there is no doubt about the merits of the project and not a single stakeholder has come forward to oppose it.
Furthermore, he said there is endless evidence of the government’s openness to the opposition on all aspects of the project as far as details, etc, are concerned. “The opposition is fully informed and its request for information honoured. At the leadership level, the support for Amaila is repeated.
“The National Assembly, with its 65 MPs, must now rise to the occasion presented and support the necessary steps that would lead to ultimate approval of this project. The project must continue. Without the vote, the project approval mechanism would be fatally threatened. The project then must be supported,” Luncheon declared.
Meanwhile, in deciding whether or not to give their full support to the project, international financial organizations will undoubtedly look to the support being given it by the country’s parliament and its stakeholder community.
Government has said, therefore, that it cannot comprehend the position adopted by some political parties who have indicated that they will not vote for the project in parliament until the international community has approved of it.
The Alliance for Change (AFC), for instance, has said in the National Assembly that they will support Amaila only when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approves of it.
Addressing a PPP press conference recently, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said the international bodies will in essence be saying: “Why on earth should we support a project that you, Guyanese, are not prepared to come out and support?”
“Just think of it: We are asking these international partners to continue to support this project. We cannot therefore be ambiguous about the signals that we send to them. If we are asking the international community to support this project, then the very least that we can do in Guyana is to demonstrate that we support it too. One could scarcely ask for support from all of the other partners outside of one’s own jurisdiction if one within one’s own jurisdiction is not prepared to demonstrate unequivocal support,” remarked Dr Singh.
According to him, Amaila is not being developed by government in isolation, but instead is seeing support from some of the most credible international partners that can possibly be imagined.
Since such large, influential and sophisticated global players are indicating their interest in investing in this project, the minister said this should give every Guyanese the responsibility to give their support as well.
It is clear, said Singh, that the AFC wants to be associated with Amaila and has therefore made public pronouncements that they are in favour. “But yet, they are not putting their vote where their mouth is. Put your parliamentary vote where your mouth is,” the minister urged.
“HORSE-TRADING”
He said he finds it alarming that the opposition sees nothing wrong with this kind of “horse-trading” where the opposition is holding the nation at ransom just because the government will not support other legislation that is in their political interest. Amaila must be judged on its own merit, he said, and development must not be undermined because the Opposition does not get what it wants on other unconnected matters.
Meanwhile, Singh said government is firmly committed to Amaila and will do all within its power to have this “dream of generations” realised.
The project is expected to generate “phenomenal” benefits to the Guyanese economy and will eventually result in an improved quality of life for Guyanese, Singh maintained.
Furthermore, he said there is endless evidence of the government’s openness to the opposition on all aspects of the project as far as details, etc, are concerned. “The opposition is fully informed and its request for information honoured. At the leadership level, the support for Amaila is repeated.
“The National Assembly, with its 65 MPs, must now rise to the occasion presented and support the necessary steps that would lead to ultimate approval of this project. The project must continue. Without the vote, the project approval mechanism would be fatally threatened. The project then must be supported,” Luncheon declared.
Meanwhile, in deciding whether or not to give their full support to the project, international financial organizations will undoubtedly look to the support being given it by the country’s parliament and its stakeholder community.
Government has said, therefore, that it cannot comprehend the position adopted by some political parties who have indicated that they will not vote for the project in parliament until the international community has approved of it.
The Alliance for Change (AFC), for instance, has said in the National Assembly that they will support Amaila only when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approves of it.
Addressing a PPP press conference recently, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said the international bodies will in essence be saying: “Why on earth should we support a project that you, Guyanese, are not prepared to come out and support?”
“Just think of it: We are asking these international partners to continue to support this project. We cannot therefore be ambiguous about the signals that we send to them. If we are asking the international community to support this project, then the very least that we can do in Guyana is to demonstrate that we support it too. One could scarcely ask for support from all of the other partners outside of one’s own jurisdiction if one within one’s own jurisdiction is not prepared to demonstrate unequivocal support,” remarked Dr Singh.
According to him, Amaila is not being developed by government in isolation, but instead is seeing support from some of the most credible international partners that can possibly be imagined.
Since such large, influential and sophisticated global players are indicating their interest in investing in this project, the minister said this should give every Guyanese the responsibility to give their support as well.
It is clear, said Singh, that the AFC wants to be associated with Amaila and has therefore made public pronouncements that they are in favour. “But yet, they are not putting their vote where their mouth is. Put your parliamentary vote where your mouth is,” the minister urged.
“HORSE-TRADING”
He said he finds it alarming that the opposition sees nothing wrong with this kind of “horse-trading” where the opposition is holding the nation at ransom just because the government will not support other legislation that is in their political interest. Amaila must be judged on its own merit, he said, and development must not be undermined because the Opposition does not get what it wants on other unconnected matters.
Meanwhile, Singh said government is firmly committed to Amaila and will do all within its power to have this “dream of generations” realised.
The project is expected to generate “phenomenal” benefits to the Guyanese economy and will eventually result in an improved quality of life for Guyanese, Singh maintained.
