GWI pays $6M debt for PPP-labelled billboards
Caption: “GWI Chief Executive, Dr Richard Van-West Charles”
Caption: “GWI Chief Executive, Dr Richard Van-West Charles”

THE Board of Directors of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has agreed to pay millions of dollars owed to design and advertising firm Impressions for GWI billboards embellished with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) logo at the height of the May 2015 elections, which saw that party being ousted from government. The water company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Van-West Charles, confirmed this Wednesday to the media. “That’s the decision of the board. That the board felt an order was made by the company to Impressions, and based on the order made, Impressions produced,” Van-West Charles said.

The GWI billboard with the PPP logo which was used during the elections season last year
The GWI billboard with the PPP logo which was used during the elections season last year

A forensic audit into the water company, published recently by the Ministry of Finance, noted the company’s procurement procedures were disregarded and that Impressions was sole-sourced to construct the 20 billboards at $300,000 each.

The GWI CEO said there is no evidence at this point to substantiate that Impressions had initially printed the billboards with the PPP campaign logo, but that the labels were placed by party elements sometime after.

Asked whether he was comfortable with the decision of the board to make the payment, the water company’s CEO underscored his role as a “servant of the board,” but then reasserted himself as both a “servant of the board” and a “servant of the people.”

“I don’t think any of the billboards are up at the moment; I think the billboards are down. That was before I assumed office.” the CEO continued, adding that there are other issues which demand the company’s attention.

“What we are doing with respect to providing a service to the people is more important than to be distracting my attention and the work I have to do… than to be taking my time up at this juncture to focus on the $6M which we have had to pay to Impressions,” the CEO said.

Dr Van-West Charles shrugged off the idea of becoming involved in a court battle which could consume more of the company’s time and resources. “In essence, it appears that an instruction was given by the guy who produced it [the billboards] by the company,” he said, adding that payments should be made with the hope of the situation not repeating itself.

Asked whether there will be measures put in place to ensure that the situation is not repeated, the CEO said new measures inclusive of a programme budgeting system, and other procedures have been put in place.

“I will guarantee you that under my watch, that will not happen,” Dr Van-West Charles asserted.

This is the second advertisement- related saga that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has found itself in, whereby it was accused of using its pre-May 2015 incumbency to coerce state agencies into campaigning for their party.

When asked about the billboard controversy at a recent press conference of the PPP, General Secretary Clement Rohee dodged claims that his party was to be accountable for the billboards, instead asserting that the issue is one for the water company.

A forensic audit into the National Communications Network (NCN) has revealed that the former PPP Government benefited from some $55M in free advertising up to May 2015, and further that the state-funded NCN failed to invoice the then PPP incumbent for $18M in advertising.

A recent report in the Stabroek News daily newspaper quoted NCN’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lennox Cornette, as saying that the company will gather all necessary invoices and letters relating to the now-opposition PPP’s debt to the entity in an effort to collect those sums.

 

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