United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has come and gone. It was a short visit to Guyana but during that visit he achieved many things for the United States. For starters, he has been able to put a chokehold on Guyana-China development arrangements. China has been a major financier for Guyana over the years. When money was coming from no source the Chinese were there with a blank cheque. They were the people to help fund Guyana’s rehabilitation of its sugar industry.
Bharrat Jagdeo was President when the Chinese forked over US$200 million to build the Modern Skeldon sugar factory. We smiled back then because we would be producing sugar at a rate commensurate with the other sugar exporting countries. We were led to believe that we would be competitive. Sadly, that sugar factory never got off the ground. Today we are repaying the Chinese but the rate of repayment is not public knowledge. If Guyana was hoping that the Chinese would have written off that loan it has to do a serious rethink.
In the medical field the Chinese have been sending medical brigades to Guyana. These brigades have been conducting groundbreaking surgeries. That is now a thing of the past. The new Cheddi Jagan International Airport is the product of the Chinese. The Chinese came to the region waving money; Guyana couldn’t resist and so gave birth to one of the longest ongoing projects in the history of the country.
The Marriott is a testimony to Chinese construction skills. So too are roads along the eastern corridor. The Chinese worked on the East Coast Demerara Highway and some other roads. It was sad to hear that they constructed concussion highways where they did no work. They did not work on the East Bank roadway leading from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Neither did they work on Heroes Highway and the stretch of roadway Sherod Duncan has named the Jumbie Bird Highway.
It was therefore a surprise when Marco Rubio told a gathering in Suriname about the concussion road that he drove on in Guyana. He said that the roads were built by the Chinese during the tenure of the Coalition administration. The records would show that the Jumbie Bird road was built by the Trinidad firm Junior Sammy. Heroes Highway was commissioned by the PPP government. Twelve contractors were hired to undertake the construction.
There were cost overruns and the unnecessary demolition of property said to be in the path of the roadway. Reporters questioned the quality of the roadwork but in the end President Irfaan Ali was high in praise. This road was the prelude to other developments that were taking Guyana by storm. According to Rubio, it was among the worst on which he had travelled. He said that the dirt roads were better.
President Irfaan Ali who had held Rubio up to the heavens, heard the criticisms of his road. Perhaps, in keeping with the trend to rewrite history the nation may see something other than the truth when the history of Heroes Highway is written. Of course, letters have been sent to the Secretary of State correcting his gaffe. It is not that Guyanese expect a retraction. Neither do they expect the government to come forward and accept blame.
Over the years, the Americans have been the least to contribute to Guyana’s development. Guyana needs the Cubans and the Chinese. At present the Chinese have been awarded the contract to construct the New Demerara Harbour Bridge. They have been working hard to complete that Bridge but given the pronouncement on the quality of work they are said to be doing one should question the government about fears over the bridge. Is the government confident that the bridge would withstand the passage of time given the pronouncement by the Secretary of State?
The Cubans have been the people keeping Guyana’s medical services alive. They have trained hundreds of the local doctors over the years and they are maintaining even our private hospitals. There was no talk about the Cubans in Guyana and that is a good thing.
When Guyana boasted about expanding its medical services it had in mind the dozens of Cuban doctors and nurses. Is the expanded medical programme still on track?
It goes without saying that Guyana would be paying through its nose to have the United States help protect it from Venezuela. There was a time when diplomacy was Guyana’s forte. Forbes Burnham had proclaimed that Guyana would neither be pawn to east or west. For more than 50 years Guyana relied on the diplomatic ties it formed with the major powers to protect it. That situation worked.
The United Kingdom was one of Guyana’s allies and it still is but from the look of things Guyana has a big brother who promises that things would go very bad for Venezuela if it were to attack Guyana. Guyana does need a strong arm to lean on. The reality is that the Caribbean should be a zone of peace. This development is taking Guyana and the region away from that goal.
What is worrying is that Russia, India and China are Guyana’s friends but they are also friends of Venezuela. They have long been part of Guyana’s shield against Venezuelan aggression. It is difficult to say that the status quo remains in the face of Guyana’s new big brother. Guyana is in this situation because of the American visa. The national leaders do not want to lose the visa so they will do anything to make America happy.
