Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said there is no special treatment for any group, and sought to debunk claims that the government is embracing more Chinese businesses and operations than any other group.
At his weekly press conference, Jagdeo debunked claims that the Chinese are dominating quarry and sand production activities. He acknowledged that the number of operators in the sector increased owing to the growing demand; there are now 16 quarries as opposed to six in 2020, and production surged from 740,000 tonnes annually to 3.3 million tonnes.
However, Jagdeo emphasised that the new licensees are Guyanese, not Chinese.
“It’s a fallacy, it’s fiction,” he said.
For sand production, there are now 67 holders compared to 18 in 2020. There has been a similar surge in sand production and Guyanese are involved in this venture.
The demand for these materials increased significantly over the past several years as the government’s facilitates and pursues robust development. Though Chinese are involved in some large publicly-funded projects like the new Demerara Harbour Crossing and a mega solar farm in Linden, Jagdeo explained that many of the publicly-funded projects go to locals and other nationalities.
In the private sector, there are Chinese companies executing projects and Chinese workers assisting. The construction of many new hotels, Jagdeo said, involved the Chinese.
“They contract them because the Chinese may be able to do it faster and in some cases, cheaper,” he noted but emphasised, “There must be no special treatment for anyone.”
Previously, Jagdeo spoke about the number of Chinese supermarkets opened all across the country. He again spoke about this at Thursday’s press conference, reiterating that the government is serious about ensuring that the Chinese comply with all regulations and get the licenses they need- such as liquor licenses- before they engage in any of these operations.
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