Bureaucracy and progress

President Bharrat Jagdeo has by now become well known for his open criticisms of certain international organisations, recently going as far as labelling them “bureaucracies dedicated to creating jobs for people from northern countries.” While some may view such comments as inappropriate and uncalled for, it is obvious that the head of state is getting impatient and anxious to see become a reality the level of development that was promised to the citizens of the country.

Citizens want to see results, and they hold accountable those that govern them when they do not see progress in their communities. Hence one can understand the president’s position, as such delays in the release of funds result in the stalling of crucial development projects.

One may also argue that the high levels of bureaucracy that exist in these organizations, which are meant to be development-oriented, can be to the disadvantage of poorer sections of the community. Of course, this is not to say that every effort must not be made to ensure the highest level of accountability and transparency in the use of public funds. In fact, we have always insisted that transparency and accountability is an essential pillar of good governance.

At a recent forum, President Jagdeo lashed out at the World Bank, saying: “We haven’t received the money from Norway. It was paid by Norway in an account, so it’s in an account for Guyana; but by the time the money gets from that account to us here, we have to overcome a number of things.” The Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) is a mechanism whereby funds for forest climate services will be directed from Norway to Guyana, as provided for in the agreement signed by the two countries. It has been expected that GRIF will support the implementation of priority LCDS investments from 2010 to 2015, unless it is superseded by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or any other international mechanism.

Guyana and Norway have asked the World Bank to act as a trustee of the GRIF, utilising the bank’s treasury function to generate further investment income for the LCDS. The Guyana/Norway deal is valued at up to US$250million by 2015, and is for forest climate services. So far, US$70 million has been deposited into the fund.

It would be useful for us to mention at this point that government had promised that US$8 million of the then US$30 million fund would have been used to provide solar panels for homes in hinterland areas, advance the land demarcation process, and create an Amerindian Development Fund. These are all very important and necessary projects that have the potential to transform the economic prospects of those communities, but they are costly to implement.

Another major project to be implemented under the GRIF is the government’s investment of US$40 million in the Amaila Falls Hydro-power Project, which is expected to provide reliable and affordable electricity to thousands of homes. The GRIF would also be the fund’s management vehicle through which payments provided to Guyana for forest climate services would generate further income, pending the use of liquid assets for specific LCDS investments.

It is therefore important that, while putting the necessary safeguards in place, the international partners involved in the process do what is needed to ensure that funds are released in a timely manner; as citizens cannot wait any longer to have titles for their lands, or for better social services or infrastructure etc. In the meantime, we believe that the administration has made a wise move to proceed with the solar panel project for hinterland communities with funding from the national treasury.