THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it is opposed to any increase in the tolls to cross the Berbice River Bridge, even as it sought to blame the current government for the current threat by the company to apply massive increases.

In a missive, the PPP said it had advanced the construction of a bridge across the Berbice River with no additional burden to Guyanese taxpayers, noting that the people of Berbice have had use of the Berbice Bridge for close to 10 years and have seen the transformational benefits of the bridge –- crossing at a toll that was equivalent to the cost of using the ferry.

“Had the APNU+AFC coalition government pursued the financial model used by the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, there would have been no proposed increases of this magnitude. The bridge was built around a financial model that did not envisage such massive increases in tolls; rather, minimal increases were envisaged – followed by a steep decline in tolls – until the Berbice Bridge was handed over to the state. Since July 2018, the PPP General-Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo,had questioned whether the current administration tinkered with the financial model. To date, this question remains unanswered,” the PPP release read.

The party contended that Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has in his possession both the financial model and contract documents for the Berbice Bridge. “These can be released. The minister, instead, is trying to absolve himself of responsibility by claiming that there is a confidentiality clause preventing release of the documents –- there is none.”

According to the PPP, the APNU+AFC coalition holds office and must bear the responsibility of ensuring that there are no further impositions of hardship measures on the Guyanese people. “They have to address this issue…”

The PPP said like with everything else, it is being blamed for the current state of affairs. “Blaming the PPP seems to be a tactic of the AFC – with Patterson himself admitting that the Chairman of the Berbice Bridge company is a close personal friend of his and a supporter of the AFC – to secure for itself a campaign issue with which it can return to Berbice. Minister Patterson, as campaign manager for the AFC, seems to have forgotten that the AFC is part of the current government,” the PPP said.

“The PPP is categorically opposed to any increase in tolls at the Berbice Bridge. We do not support an increase in the tolls, particularly given what is happening in Berbice – loss of thousands of jobs in the sugar industry and other sectors…The government should take measures to prevent the increase in tolls. “