US$8.7M Berbice bridge access road contract awarded
- Jagdeo tells Berbicians
Stabroek News
March 13, 2007
Dr Cheddi Jagan's daughter Nadira Jagan Brancier (second from left, second row) in the audience at the ceremony on Sunday.
President Bharrat Jagdeo announced on Sunday that the contract for the approach road to the Berbice Bridge was expected to be signed yesterday and that the bridge is closer to becoming a reality.
Making the announcement much to the jubilation of the large gathering at the tenth death anniversary observance for former president Cheddi Jagan at Babu John, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Jagdeo said the contract would have been signed at a cost of some US$8.7 million. He noted that residents from Unity Street, D'Edward Village had already relocated to another area after receiving compensation.
According to him, only one house was left to be removed and he hoped it would be done within the week so that the work can get started.
Jagdeo assured Berbicians that Berbice is high on government's agenda even though they may hear otherwise. He said although government officials do not visit Berbice as often as they should, Berbicians "should not think that distance weakens our resolve or our commitment to ensure that the region develops at the same pace of all the other regions in the country."
The President said that while visiting the Skeldon Sugar Factory earlier in the day he had commented that it was one of the most modern in Latin America and the Caribbean but the consultant corrected him, stating that it was one of the "most modern in the world with modern technologies."
Jagdeo pointed out come July ten megawatts of power from that facility would be placed into the national grid, doubling the amount that Berbice is currently exporting to other areas.
Referring to the 36% sugar price cut which began to take effect from last July, he said the country stood to lose US$40 million per annum as a result and government could have chosen the easy route as some countries did and said sugar was not viable.
"We have decided to make sugar viable in Guyana but we need the support of people. Workers have to understand that the struggle is to save the sugar industry," he stated.
In remembering the life of Dr Jagan, Jagdeo noted that from the time Dr Jagan returned to Guyana in the 1940s he led the struggle for independence to free the country from the colonial administration.
He recalled that the late leader "had to make tremendous sacrifices of a personal nature and he also had to undergo great difficulties because of the colonial administration and local reactionaries - some who did not want independence, some who wanted to delay independence and some who did not want independence under the PPP but Dr Jagan persevered under that struggle."
He said Guyanese need to recognize that Dr Jagan, who was guided by a solid vision, managed to bring people of all races together and also led the struggle to return democracy to Guyana, which saw great humiliation for almost three decades and the tremendous pressure brought against the party.
The President said that because of Dr Jagan's leadership the party survived and it maintained its strength with resilience and "managed to emerge victorious in 1992 and returned freedom that is still being enjoyed by all."
Jagdeo said persons need to understand why, after years of his passing he still commands such a high-level respect in the country. He told the gathering that Dr Jagan demonstrated sincerity, humility, patience and courage in the country.
He said Dr Jagan fore saw that racism could sap national energy, divide the people and mitigate against government achieving the kind of development Guyana can potentially can achieve.
Therefore, he said throughout the most difficult period of Dr Jagan's life "when there were all sorts of provocation he stood firmly to the principle that the party and the country must consistently advocate for a national approach to the problems of development."
According to Jagdeo, Dr Jagan continued to speak of underdevelopment and he recalled him saying, "If this trend were to continue many of the developing countries would turn to the export of drugs because their people would not be viable."
He said "a few people in the media said that Dr Jagan was advocating us exporting drugs but that is far from the truth. He was speaking as an internationalist, seeing a problem and trying to solve the problem through enforcement and through solving poverty and hunger at the international level."
He noted that this has come to past and many of the poor countries are increasingly exporting drugs to the developed part of the world because of hopelessness and depression.
Jagdeo also accused the media of distorting the history of the party and the struggles of Dr Jagan recently. He said they have to fight that distortion through knowledge and be able to speak up.
"What is at stake here is the image of our party and our history. We cannot allow these fools and these people…to distort what we stand for. Couple days ago some of them were angry with me when I say they were lazy. They would not research… they would write rumours about the party and Cheddi Jagan and his struggles. They would not do a decent day's work of researching what he stood for…
"Some of them think that because they are media they are always right, that is not true. It is a key element; it has always been like this, from the 50s to today the struggle has not ended."
He said the media want "to pull us down and if they do that they are pulling down our dream. We have to commit ourselves that we would fight it by being vocal…"
Among the other speakers at the ceremony were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who stated that "Dr Jagan's basic vision was the sense for all of us to be equal…," his widow, Janet Jagan and General Secretary of the PPP, Donald Ramotar.
His life was also remembered through dramatic poem by Stephanie Bowry and songs by three-time Calypso winner, Sweet Kendingo and two others. Students of secondary schools in Berbice also read portions of his writings. The event ended with a wreath-laying ceremony.