By Annette Ferguson MP- The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) publicly boasts with a straight face proclaiming “thousands of Guyanese are receiving low mortgage rates to construct their houses.” This is far from the truth! I am aware of many persons who applied for mortgage financed and have been disqualified as a result of them not attaining the criterion set by the financial institutions.
What I found alarming and laughable, during the budget debates, Zulfikar Mustapha reported to the National Assembly that “part time workers through the government’s $40,000.00 job program have received mortgages for their houses.
This is impossible, since the financial institutions will not run that risk, with approving loans for a person, whom they will conclude is not in a secure job.
One who has knowledge of mortgage finance, know that what the likes to Zulifkar and others would like us to believe, cannot fly. Yet, Croal nor Rodrigues cannot make the data available for scrutiny. I challenge them both to avail the information, so that I can encourage those disqualified to revisit the institutions to have their application reviewed.
It is my belief that the PPPC regime is using the Housing Sector to play into the minds of our people and in their emotions, but do not have a vision for the housing Sector to address the housing needs of ordinary Guyanese, but has its priority on “Silica City,” where huge houses are being constructed for friends and associates of the PPPC, who will get first preference. To date, the nation is still in the dark where this particular project is concerned.
In its edition of April 5, 2024, Guyana Chronicle Newspaper reported, “construction starts on the first 100 young professional homes at Silica City.” The article failed to provide detailed information on who are the contractors, how were they procured, size of lots, total costs for construction of houses, duration of project, process for acquiring a house and whether applicants on file will be afforded priority.
What is interesting to note; lands along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway are in most cases, “Leased land,” through and managed by Guyana Lands and Survey Commission. By what means has the Ministry of Housing and Water, CHPA acquired the lands. It is obvious that many Guyanese are oblivious as to what is happening in the housing Sector.
Therefore, I would like to encourage Guyanese not to fall prey to the traps set by Central Housing and Planning Authority. Do not allow anyone to tell you that they can have your application expedited, but you are told to pay X amount. The processes are: purchase an application form, complete all relevant information, submit with accompanying documents (birth certificate, if married, marriage certificate, children birth certificates, job letter and or pay slip from your employer.
Interviews are conducted by officers at CHPA, an acknowledgment letter d then generated with category entitled, whether low, moderate, middle or high incomes house lots, application is placed on file.
In January 2024, I visited Phase 115 of Providence, EBD, where CHPA awarded contracts go contractors, including allegations of a cricketer, who turned overnight contractor and a former employee of CHPA, who are currently benefiting from the trough of CHPA, building houses in the scheme for young professionals.
It should be noted that this area was purchased by a private developer to construct houses, pre-May 2015. The developer failed to comply with conditions as per contractual agreement, CHPA was forced to reclaim the lands had them allocated to allottees. When the government changed in 2020, the PPPC with their vindictiveness reallocated allottees in the area of Prospect and others on the East Bank.
My attention was drawn to a huge property, in my estimation occupying approximately three to four house lots, with eight (8) apartments. This property has been constructed for “apartments purposes.”
For illustrations, I have attached three (3) images for publication, so that the Guyanese can have a sense of what is happening in the housing sector and why thousands of our brothers and sisters are still waiting for a call from CHPA, inviting them to visit the office for their allocations.
It is only fair for Colin Croal or Susan Rodrigues to come clean and provide answers to Guyanese on the following questions:
- Who is the owner and the apartments building in Phase 115 of Providence, EBD?
- When was the application made by the applicant and was it for apartments?
- Was a design submitted to CHPA for approval?
- If yes, when was this done?
- What is the costs for constructing such structure?
- Was taxpayers money used to construct the apartments building?
- Was the building constructed by the approved contractors of CHPA?
- If yes, who is the contractor that was awarded the contract?
I will iterate for emphasis: people have designed the systems to make the process bureaucratic. Guyanese, it is TIME we keep awake. The housing sector is in crisis and the PPP/C has NO vision nor coherent plan for the sector.
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Hon Annette Ferguson is Shadow Minister of Housing and Water
