Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali has taken the Kaieteur News to task regarding an article published on Christmas Day headlined “Eccles to Providence hijacked by private developers”.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday at his ministry’s Brickdam, Georgetown office, Ali said the news report is riddled with lies and designed to paint the Donald Ramotar administration in a bad light.
The minister contended that the report sought to create a picture that government sold most of the land from the Eccles to Providence, East Bank Demerara, to private housing developers, instead of issuing it to the public.
This, he said, is far from the truth, pointing out that these issues were addressed previously and the public-private partnership is aimed at ensuring that there is equal access to land ownership.
On that note, the minister urged Kaieteur News to give up its scandalous and lawless approach to reporting, describing the article as a “nasty, nasty, nasty lie” that “makes one wonder what is hoped to be achieved by this disgusting, rotten piece of journalism… all morals and ethics are obsolete in this case.”
Ali said that his ministry always operates in a transparent and fair manner.
According to Ali, work in the area began after a public expression of interest was placed in the Guyana Chronicle during 2010.
Contrary to the Kaieteur News report, he said that almost 4000 lots were distributed through the normal application process.
In explaining how much money was paid for the lands by private developers within the East Bank area, Ali said the investment was from both the public and private sectors and the cost of land in the first phase ranged from Gy$ 4 million to Gy$ 6 million, plus infrastructural cost per acre, while the average investment service per acre of land is between Gy$ 10 million to Gy$ 15 million by the private sector.
Ramjattan was quoted as saying in the Kaieteur News, “We have in our possession a leaked document that maps out lands that were earmarked for housing….” The first phase of the East Bank Demerara development project was advertised on December 15, 2010.
“So when he said people are working there a year ago, it was there since 2010, published in the Guyana Chronicle under the caption ‘invitation for expression of interest for housing development at the proposed Eccles to Mocha Housing Development site’; a total of 14 expressions was received,” explained the minister.
There is also the perception that all of the lands between Eccles and Providence did not go to normal houselots.
However, the minister said the policy for the housing programme is based on the development of the partnerships. The majority of the lots went to the public sector, he said.
The minister stated that the map published in the Kaieteur News with the article is public information and was made available to the media since 2011. He said too that his ministry has nothing to fear, as it operates in a transparent and fair manner.
Disrespectful
The minister said after reading the article, he sent an email, through his secretary, to Alliance For Change (AFC) leader Khemraj Ramjattan, but instead got a response stating “tell him to haul his ass”. He said Ramjattan verbally abused his secretary, deeming his behaviour lawless and disgusting.
According to Ali, Ramjattan said “how can that chap demand me to come to his press conference, tell him to haul his ass”. Ali is demanding a public apology from Ramjattan for being disrespectful to his secretary, whom he said is a simple public servant.
