Guyana Observer News

Peter R. Ramsaroop, MBA

INTRODUCTION:
The Minister of Commerce speaks about the Takutu Bridge which spans from Brazil to Guyana as if it was an accomplishment of the Guyana Government. This has been a major accomplishment by the Brazilian government, and the people of Guyana, regardless of their government, must show their appreciation.

The bridge is not only well appreciated but is also a great benefit for us to be able to walk and drive over into Brazil rather to use a one-engine boat to take our vehicles across the river.
After my Wednesday, Feb 11th 2009 column, “Lethem – the hub of Growth, I received this email from a Brazilian tax payer.

I read your article published on 02/11/09 by the Kaieteur News web site. I think that you could have written publicly in your article a special thanks to 6° BEC (Batalhão de Engenharia de Construção), which means in English: Sixth Construction Engineering Battalion from the Brazilian Army Corps of Engineers.

This Battalion was in charge to execute the Lethem Operation to build one-mile stretch of continuous highway in Guyanese territory, whose entire costs of this paved road construction was paid totally by the Brazilian Taxpayers Civil Society.

The current Commandant of the 6° BEC (Sixth Construction Engineering Battalion) is the Lieutenant Colonel: Ten. Cel. Mário Brasil do Nascimento, who was in charge to finish this road construction in Guyanese territory. Pictures available at http://www.6becnst.eb.mil.br (Signed Brazilian Tax Payer – name provided)

This bridge will bring economic trade to Guyana, if we would just do our part and show the Brazilians that we can spend our money wisely.

OUR SIDE OF THE BORDER:
After the same column, I referred to above; I received this email from a Guyanese. I read your piece in the newspaper and on your website. I applaud the vision, but that is an endpoint and not helpful in understanding the preconditions. For over 30 years that area has been starved of investments, both public and private.

It’s a victim of Burnham’s vengeance and the subsequent governments have embraced that revenge based on public policy. A few years ago I asked a government official if he would offer Rupununi ranchers a portion of the cattle and sheep breeds they were receiving as aid from some developed country, and he told me that Rupununi was not a priority.

Basic fact - no economy can prosper without trade. Rupununi is a net importer. It has financed these with some government jobs, some charity and remittances. Remittances, by the way, come from sons and daughters working in Brazil.

Those who have a desire to see this region prosper need to go back to basics; the principal ones being to figure out what the comparative advantages are. Cattle, horses, peanuts certainly but with the exception of peanuts, nothing else has a market and if a market, how to get it there without transportation. The region will have to reduce volume and weight in order to minimize transport costs.

Strangely enough, that’s an argument for increased value added activities in the basic products I mentioned. But you can see where that is headed - more financial capital and more trained manpower.

The bridge leads to a different perspective - the region becomes an exporter of services for shippers going both ways. Warehousing, fuelling, recording, financial services, communications and so forth.

Lethem needs energy; set up a company to buy it from Bom Fin. The government says it’s illegal, then fight them in court and in the press. You need to get all the people to proudly back the overall vision. (Name provided)

TRANSPORTATION:
In the 2009 Budget, there was no mention of any money going towards the road from Lethem to Linden and not even for any major development in the Region.

I ask our politicians on both sides of the aisle in the Budget debate to rethink the direction of the nation and what an investment in this region can do for us the citizens.

Laying down tracks for a freight train will be a major start in this process, and we can divert some of our taxes and loans in the 2009 budget to this venture.

FOREIGN POLICY:
Lately we sent a new ambassador to Brazil and to date we have never heard one word out of him. We need to re-engage the Brazilian government and private sector on areas of mutual interest. Brazil needs the transportation, we need the energy, and we need the economics of the trade.

Brazil-Guyana relations have traditionally been close. Brazil has provided military assistance to Guyana in the form of warfare training and logistics. Bilateral relations between the countries have recently increased, as a result of Brazil’s new South-South foreign policy aimed to strengthen South American integration.

During a state visit by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to Georgetown on 2 March 2007, the Governments of Guyana and Brazil signed several cooperation agreements, and announced plans to boost trade between the two countries. Our government needs to do the follow-up, we need to show we mean business and this needs to be reflected in Budget 2009.

CONCLUSION:
The Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana is a strong advocate of improving economic trade between our two nations. He is very accessible and willing to work with our companies that may be interested in the connection.

What we need is the development of the Trade Free Zone in Lethem as discussed in previous policy papers and emphasis by our government that they are serious about the benefits of opening up our borders to Brazilian Trade.

Let us as citizens thank the people of Brazil that used their precious tax dollars to give us a chance of a better life. We hope our Minister of Finance is paying attention, and will use our hard earned tax payer’s money wisely instead of the wastage he proposed in the 2009 budget. Until next time: “Roop”