BRIDGING of the Berbice River is one of the most invaluable projects executed and delivered to the people of Guyana.

This is one of the structures that came at a time when direct stress was passed on to the general citizenry of Guyana and more so to tourists when commuting to the region; no one knows the stress levels and lost time incurred with the previous model, so the opposition should shut up and face the reality of opportunity time.
I am hoping the opposition knows that time is valuable and also realise how much is it really worth. The opposition must go back to the basics and try to analyse the stress about a delayed boat with a long line, it is possible to quantify – to put a concrete number on – the time being wasted? To say not just, “My time is valuable!? But “That’s US$250 of my time down the drain!
It turns out the answer is yes. And to do so you only need to use one of the most basic principles of economics: opportunity cost. Let the opposition do some work rather than them using the “empty barrel makes the most noise” concept.
The call for reduced tariffs is not justifiable; they are comparing the Demerara Harbour Bridge tariff structure which is heavily subsidised by the government with the Berbice Bridge which is fully self-reliant. If the Opposition is ready to offset the tariff differences for the reduction they are calling for, then they should sign onto a MOU with the BBCI and proceed with their call; it is just politics that is emotionally driven.
It’s not too hard to see how crucial is time lost (the opposition should conduct a time and motion study on the BCCI crossing now with data from the ferrying model) and with time reduction that goes with increasing justification for increasing people’s social benefits. How much is an hour of your time worth?
The bridge roll on the ease of commuting, for the farmers, construction workers, tourists to name a few and very important reduced time for life- saving events, transporting medical cases to the public/private hospitals in Berbice and also to the national referral hospital in the city.
We have to be thankful for many investors for coming on board with this project since, from an economic standpoint, social dimensions and environmental impacts, this bridge has closed the gaps within each dimension so transforming all benefits to the people, and that is what this government is all about: giving its general citizenry cause to develop themselves.
Why only BCCI? The opposition has their personal vendetta against some of the direct private investors and this is not professional analysis from the opposition side, but, rather “an eye for an eye” game will see the entire of Guyana going blind.
I call on the opposition, it is wake up time, work with the government in parliament to ensure our country is taken off the black list with the passing of the money laundering and countering financing terrorism bill – this is more important at this time.
This is what the private investors did with the BCCI, since the private sector has the bottom or the operating core of the country at heart, they made this investment possible so that the hardship of commuting to and from the region becomes a model to push Guyana forward and this is what the outcome is.

MICHAEL KHAN