– defends Marriott, Amaila projects By Jenelle CarterPrime Minister Samuel Hinds who refuted the notion of ‘corrupt deals’ while defending this year’sPrime Minister Sam Hindsbudget, said that his Government is urging citizens to forsake anyone who would seek to dampen spirits with claims, whether of discrimination or marginalization, on the one hand, or of being taken for granted, on the other hand.“Permit me to refer to the article published in the Easter Sunday – April 8, 2012 – edition of the Kaieteur News, “Robert Badal spends US$8 million to upgrade Pegasus – sees Marriott as a ‘sour grapes project.”“Sour grapes or not, Pegasus is being taken to a higher level…If tourism is to develop, as we are all hoping and working for and as laid out in paragraphs 4.37 to 4.40 of the Minister’s speech, it would need not one, but two or three additional internationally-known brand-name hotels – we just need to check out the number of such international brand-name hotels in neighbouring Paramaribo”Prime Minister Hinds added that in order for us to attract international business investors and tourists who stay only at internationally renowned five-star hotel chains, Guyana must proceed along this course.“We must build if we will have them come, and our local hotels like Pegasus, Grand Coastal and Sleep-In are encouraged to rise to the challenge”.The Prime Minister said that either way, claims of corruption and the like, dampen enthusiasm and participation and lead to a self-fulfilling lack of individual success whilst others ‘get on’.“The Government believes that every one of us must make efforts, must strive, must contribute and must find great satisfaction – indeed, we must find a purpose in life and as we grow individually and altogether as a nation we feel good, and progress even faster with everyone prospering”.He told the National Assembly that taking into account the country’s history, it would be surprising if there was not much suspicion and mistrust in our society about discrimination and marginalization, particularly as it relates to the actions of Government.“Suspicions there would be, but we must adjust even as our fears are dispelled. “In the same period [the last, the 9th, Parliament] over 300 questions were passed to Ministers and all were answered in keeping with the Standing Orders.”Prime Minister Hinds said that there was a huge cry about corruption in a number of large projects that Guyana needs, and on which the Government had embarked.“Many were loud and let their imagination run wild, being sure of corruption in their questioning of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, the road,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the CJIA upgrade and the Marriott. Quite quickly questions were asked and quite readily they were answered, and now there has been deafening silence”.The Prime Minister said that some persons should, at least, be saying, “We were mistaken in thinking that there was corruption in those agreements.”He said that with initial suspicions over many large projects now put to rest, let us all pull together in bringing about their rapid, efficient and effective execution of the AFHP, new CJIA and Marriott Hotel.“This is not a call to put aside critical assessment or to put aside being on guard against any perceived corruption but, rather, it is a call to recognize that there is no basis for the broad brush, no basis for the first assumptions of many, of discrimination, marginalization and corruption.” The Opposition needs to reconsider this approach of opposing simply for the sake of opposing, he said.“The Opposition naysayers need to be mature enough to be vocal about their findings after reviewing the documents presented upon request and upon being furnished with the answers to their questions.”
