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First with his commendable public intervention last month in support of the Guyana Government for realization of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project was America’s accredited ambassador to this nation, Mr. D Brent Hardt.
He had done so following participation in a much-publicised ‘Investment Conference’, organised by Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, David Devine, with joint support of the diplomatic missions here of the European Union, United Kingdom and USA.
Without, rightly, engaging in any name-calling, but making a pungent statement that could not have escaped the leadership of APNU (A Partnership for National Unity), or any impartial observer, Ambassador Hardt was reported in the media as declaring:
“Until recently, the Amaila project, which has been under development for six years under Sithe Global, appeared to enjoy the implicit support of all political parties. In recent weeks, however, the project suddenly became enmeshed in political battles that had little to do with the potential of the project to generate cheaper, more reliable and more environmentally friendly energy for decades to come…”
Readers would be quite conscious that in his reference to being “suddenly enmeshed in politics,” the US Ambassador clearly had in mind the very surprising political somersault in the National Assembly by the opposition parties — APNU and AFC — with the latter subsequently extricating itself by a somewhat matured compromise, though serious damage had already been done to the Amaila project as originally envisaged.
Whatever the level of leadership confidence he really commands, David Granger, Chairman of APNU (which had expediently emerged as an opportunistic frontrunner for the People’s National Congress at the November 2011 general elections), what really matters for Guyanese is a current grim political reality
Grim reality
That is, in terms of Guyana’s anticipated huge economic leap forward, the parliamentary opposition, and quite decidedly APNU, may well have committed a most notorious political act against Guyana’s national interest by their dangerous, myopic, immature politicking to sabotage the realisation of the Amaila project.
Now, weeks after Ambassador Hardt’s welcome independent intervention (for which he was to subsequently be the target of a most infantile public political response from the PNC/APNU Granger), there has emerged a second diplomatic intervention.
This time, it has come from the US State Department’s newly accredited Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Georgetown, Mr. Bryan Hunt.
As reported in our yesterday’s edition, he has emphasised his government’s willingness to continue to help in making the massive Amaila project an economic development reality for Guyana.
Mr. Hunt, in welcoming President Donald Ramotar’s recent assurance of his administration’s commitment to continue his efforts to make a reality of the hydro-project, noted that it had “solid investors” support, including the Inter-American Development (IDB) and the Government of Norway.
Back in June, the IDB’s representative in Guyana, Ms Sophie Makonnen, had signaled that the institution was encountering some delays in completion of a required “due diligence” assessment of the hydro-project that was originally expected in July.
Since then, regrettably, there has been the very costly anti-Guyana political fiasco in the National Assembly, led by David Granger’s PNC-dominated APNU, with an occasional squeaky voice from Rupert Roopnarine, representing as a pathetic ‘partner’ affiliate what remains of a once dynamic Working People’s Alliance (WPA).
For the sake of Guyana, and more immediately the interest of thousands of youth and others in need of employment, we sincerely hope that not only the USA, but the diplomatic missions of other friendly nations represented in Georgetown, would succeed, in cooperation with the IDB, to help rescue the Amaila hydroelectric project from the financial disaster that now threatens its realisation.
And this horror as a direct consequence of the dangerous, politicking largely by the PNC/APNU alliance under Granger’s leadership.
For whom the bell tolls? Later.
He had done so following participation in a much-publicised ‘Investment Conference’, organised by Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, David Devine, with joint support of the diplomatic missions here of the European Union, United Kingdom and USA.
Without, rightly, engaging in any name-calling, but making a pungent statement that could not have escaped the leadership of APNU (A Partnership for National Unity), or any impartial observer, Ambassador Hardt was reported in the media as declaring:
“Until recently, the Amaila project, which has been under development for six years under Sithe Global, appeared to enjoy the implicit support of all political parties. In recent weeks, however, the project suddenly became enmeshed in political battles that had little to do with the potential of the project to generate cheaper, more reliable and more environmentally friendly energy for decades to come…”
Readers would be quite conscious that in his reference to being “suddenly enmeshed in politics,” the US Ambassador clearly had in mind the very surprising political somersault in the National Assembly by the opposition parties — APNU and AFC — with the latter subsequently extricating itself by a somewhat matured compromise, though serious damage had already been done to the Amaila project as originally envisaged.
Whatever the level of leadership confidence he really commands, David Granger, Chairman of APNU (which had expediently emerged as an opportunistic frontrunner for the People’s National Congress at the November 2011 general elections), what really matters for Guyanese is a current grim political reality
Grim reality
That is, in terms of Guyana’s anticipated huge economic leap forward, the parliamentary opposition, and quite decidedly APNU, may well have committed a most notorious political act against Guyana’s national interest by their dangerous, myopic, immature politicking to sabotage the realisation of the Amaila project.
Now, weeks after Ambassador Hardt’s welcome independent intervention (for which he was to subsequently be the target of a most infantile public political response from the PNC/APNU Granger), there has emerged a second diplomatic intervention.
This time, it has come from the US State Department’s newly accredited Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Georgetown, Mr. Bryan Hunt.
As reported in our yesterday’s edition, he has emphasised his government’s willingness to continue to help in making the massive Amaila project an economic development reality for Guyana.
Mr. Hunt, in welcoming President Donald Ramotar’s recent assurance of his administration’s commitment to continue his efforts to make a reality of the hydro-project, noted that it had “solid investors” support, including the Inter-American Development (IDB) and the Government of Norway.
Back in June, the IDB’s representative in Guyana, Ms Sophie Makonnen, had signaled that the institution was encountering some delays in completion of a required “due diligence” assessment of the hydro-project that was originally expected in July.
Since then, regrettably, there has been the very costly anti-Guyana political fiasco in the National Assembly, led by David Granger’s PNC-dominated APNU, with an occasional squeaky voice from Rupert Roopnarine, representing as a pathetic ‘partner’ affiliate what remains of a once dynamic Working People’s Alliance (WPA).
For the sake of Guyana, and more immediately the interest of thousands of youth and others in need of employment, we sincerely hope that not only the USA, but the diplomatic missions of other friendly nations represented in Georgetown, would succeed, in cooperation with the IDB, to help rescue the Amaila hydroelectric project from the financial disaster that now threatens its realisation.
And this horror as a direct consequence of the dangerous, politicking largely by the PNC/APNU alliance under Granger’s leadership.
For whom the bell tolls? Later.
