expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport
| Chairman of the Trade and Investment Committee and former Private Sector Chairman, Ramesh Dookhoo, has said that Government should not yield to calls for it to take over the Berbice River Bridge. The bridge is a private/public partnership.Dookhoo made the statement on Thursday at the opening of GuyExpo 2013.Private Sector Chairman, Ramesh DookhooAccording to Dookhoo, the private sector would not support any takeover attempts by the government of any private entity. Dookhoo said that the private sector was stifled in the past by socialistic national polices.The former PSC chairman recalled that a majority of the private sector commercial entities were nationalized causing private capital to decrease in a way that led to the eventual collapse of Guyana’s economy.“It has taken years of dedication by our business leaders to rebuild a private sector led economy and rebuild our store of private capital” Dookhoo said.He added that they must resist any attempts to return the private sector to the centralized economy of the past.Dookhoo said the model of the past has proven to be a failure and the recent calls for the state to take over the Berbice River Bridge are alarming. “Nationalization did not and will not work.”He said that he strongly believes that the private sector is the future of Guyana, thus he recommended that the country continue to work towards diversifying the economy and its reliance on traditional exports.President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Servicing Association (GMSA), Clinton Williams, said that it is important that business partnership opportunities among Guyanese, regional and international producers and services providers are encouraged during this four-day exposition.Under the theme, “Advancing Productivity through Innovation, Modernisation and Expansion” GuyExPo is being held with much acknowledgement about the need to continue promoting public/private partnerships for the economic development of Guyana.President Donald Ramotar has noted that his government has been playing its part by investing in the social and physical infrastructure necessary for the right environment. Among them are a deepwater harbour, expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the much talked about Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).The latter project is the most highly anticipated but is far from becoming a reality following refusal by the political Opposition to support legislation necessary for construction of the site. |
