GT&T, government to resolve differences
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
March 22, 2007
THE government and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Ltd (GT&T) yesterday indicated a willingness to sit down and resolve their differences, especially on the legacy issues that have dogged the relationship.
President Bharrat Jagdeo and GT&T Chief Executive Officer, Major General (rtd) Joe Singh, signalled that both parties are willing to sit down and discuss the legacy and other problematic issues, with the hope of having an amicable resolution that will be beneficial to Guyanese and the service being provided to them.
Noting that there are “legacy issues” between the Guyana Government and GT&T and its parent company, Atlantic Tele Network (ATN), Singh told the President that these issues “may have inhibited” the relationship between GT&T and the government in the past.
“I respectfully counsel - let us be imbued with a positive attitude to resolve these legacy issues and the implementation of the ICT strategy in a creative way, so that our joint and collaborative efforts can and will rebound to the benefit of Guyana,” Singh said during his address at the commissioning of a US$1.7M mobile and landline facility at the National Stadium complex at Providence, East Coast Demerara.
“As we anticipate the hosting of the third largest sporting event in the world during the period March 28 and April 9, and we imagine the stands filled with vociferous Guyanese, West Indian and international supporters of the participating teams, let us continue to build on the momentum generated in this first quarter of 2007, and move this partnership between the Guyana Government and the private sector forward, in the public and the national interest,” Singh posited.
“You, Mr. President, have indicated the sense of urgency which should circumscribe our efforts at sustainable development. We at GT&T have demonstrated by our actions, of which you are well aware Your Excellency, our preparedness and that of the new leadership at ATN, to be equal to the challenge.”
“Let us learn from the lessons of the past (and) let the new dispensation emphasising mature and creative partnerships flourish. Let the people of Guyana be infected with national pride and enthusiasm. Let us use the stadium and these facilities not only as a platform to celebrate a victory for cricket but as a springboard for launching out on a truly nationally inspired mission: ‘To make Guyana the Best it can be!’”, the former Army Chief declared.
In response to Singh during his feature address at the ceremony, President Jagdeo acknowledged that there are legacy and other issues that the government and GT&T will have to work out, and assured that these will be dealt with after the CWC event.
“Yes, there are legacy issues and other issues that we will have to sort out because I feel that a competitive environment brings out the best in people and we have to work towards getting to that environment, so that no one becomes complacent in the service to our people,” he said.
“I intend to continue working with GT&T and I hope that the discussions that we spoke about will start immediately after the games are over so that we can get back to work on some of the more critical things for our country.”
He noted that the hosting of these Super Eight cricket games has “taken up a lot of our time and effort and resources and we are very occupied with them”, but assured Singh that they “will have more time to sit in a way and be guided hopefully by one goal – which is providing a better service to our people and work out the differences that we have”.
President Jagdeo also made it clear that he has “nothing personal” against Singh or GT&T. “Many times people have that impression because I have been from time to time critical (but) I have just issues (with the company) – the issue of providing a better services to our people.”
“That is my only motivation, nothing else. I don’t want to see GT&T fail…I just want to see that this country grows and is not held back because of the state of the telecommunications facilities here and I am very pleased to see that GT&T has rolled out a very aggressive plan,” he commented.
In this regard, President Jagdeo said he wants a telecommunications system in Guyana that would be a stable platform for the growth and development of the country, one that would allow businesses to have solutions that can cut their cost of production and make them do things more efficiently and effectively.
According to him, this is a requirement if Guyana is to become competitive in the world of business.
“I want a platform that is stable and competitive enough that would facilitate the development of ICT related services – a whole new world of job creation and revenue earning that we are shut out of that has tremendous potential for this country, and I want when someone picks up their phone wherever they are in this country, they will not have dropped calls but clean, reliable services.”
“This is all that I am asking of the operators...and I think with Major General (rtd) Joe Singh is a patriot and I am sure that he will ensure that more and more, every day, people are better served in Guyana.”
President Jagdeo also recalled that about four years ago “there was this mood of complaints right across the country and I found that I was bogged down in meeting people who were just negative about things; so I said I am not going to meet with negative people and I am not going to work with them anymore.”
“I said that to the Cabinet too, to work with the positive people in our country, and when I said this, the first time, people thought it was arrogance but it was not,” Mr. Jagdeo told the audience which included government ministers, officials from the private sector and the diplomatic community, and staff of GT&T.
“I sense in our country the same mood today, that we have more and more people who are positive, and who are prepared to do the hard work that it takes to transform our country and I want to promise you that I will work with those people, in every sector, including GT&T,” he said to applause from the audience.
“My aim is simple; there isn’t anything complex about what I am working towards…in the telecommunications sector, I want a reliable system, a competitive system, I want a system that would give the best services to my people, that is all I want and that is all I am requiring of the operators.”
President Jagdeo said he will continue to keep pushing for that goal, and told GT&T that every time the company commissions a facility such as the one yesterday, it is getting closer to that goal.
“And I commend you for this,” he told the GT&T officials at the ceremony.