FOR some time now, President Dr. Irfaan Ali and members of his Cabinet have been pleading with contractors to get their house in order and to execute government projects with the alacrity they deserve.
These persons would have signed contacts committing to execute projects within a specified period. Yet many of these projects which are funded by tax-payers’ money, are way behind schedule and the pleads and warnings of this government seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Not so long ago, President Ali handed down a directive to enforce liquidated damages on contractors for delayed projects. Many of these projects involve road works and the delays are a great inconvenience to the travelling public and to the persons living in those areas.

It has been repeatedly said that the government’s focus is on expanding, rehabilitating and modernising the country’s public infrastructure as part of the development trajectory, the transformation of the socio-economic landscape and the improvement of the lives of Guyanese living in every part of the country.

The President’s resolute stance against contractors’ non-performance is not merely a display of authority, but a fundamental commitment to accountability and efficient governance.
The decision to issue that directive came at a crucial juncture when Guyana is focused on transformative infrastructural projects aimed at enhancing the nation’s socio-economic landscape. This remains an ongoing priority area for government.

The journey towards realising the above-mentioned aspirations has been marred by persistent delays and setbacks. Such instances have not only eroded public trust and caused unnecessary inconvenience, but they have also adversely affected the country’s development momentum.

Contractors have been publicly warned of the government’s intention to rigorously enforce contractual clauses, including liquidated damages and terminate contacts if necessary.
But it seems that contractors have somehow convinced themselves that President Ali, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, are not serious about taking action; that they are merely uttering words to appease the public and will give them a second chance when they screw up. However, President Ali’s recent utterings on the matter should be enough to dispel such thoughts and conclusions.

On Saturday, he visited Zeelugt and Meten-Meer-Zorg in Region Three, and to his shock he was met with delayed infrastructure works. The President’s outrage was fueled by the fact that in Zeelugt, the contractor and the engineer were nowhere to be seen.

It was pointed out that some of the roads in the community were in such a deplorable state that persons could not traverse them.
During his visit to Meten-Meer-Zorg, he was told that one contractor was some six months behind on an infrastructure project.

How can these situations be fair? How can a contactor ignore the pleads and warnings of the persons he/she is working for?
The President’s latest comments on this issue should not be ignored.

Contractors doing government projects have been given fair warning. They need to fall in line and prioritise not only getting the work done promptly, but ensuring that it is of the best quality.