Wales GTE, Lindsayca, Figueroa – Kaieteur News

Hard truths by GHK Lall

Kaieteur News – If I were to pause by State House, treat myself to an admiring look, Special Branch, CID, and the army could be summoned into action.  If so for near State House, or Office of the President, imagine the reception if I strayed too close to the Bharrat Jagdeo spectacular in development at Wales.  The Gas-to-Energy (GTE) US$2.25 billion project, that is.  (FYI: the li’l US$250 extra millions wished-for by Lindsayca is added).  Nobody like me; but former Maduro grandee, Reuben Dario Figueroa Olivari can be a partner of the PPP Government in this Bharrat Jagdeo epic, the Wales US$2.25 billion GTE.

How can that be?  Meaning, how can Senor Figueroa Olivari, a Maduro man of business, be the big cheese at Wales?  The next time I share space with Mr. Winston Brassington, Wales Taskforce Supremo, those questions will be asked about this Venezuelan caudillo’s presence at the top of that project.  How did he slip, given his Andorran history, through the cracks of the government’s due diligence standards, procedures?  How big are those cracks in the scrutiny schemes of the PPP Government?  Are those cracks built into due diligence best practices?  Or made up, as needed, to suit special people and circumstances?  With the case of Caballero Figueroa Olivari featuring?

Efforts are dedicated to giving the Wales project jefe a clean bill of health.  But how can this happen, with Mr. Figueroa’s past relationship to Mr. Maduro.  Poor Azruddin Mohamed, the PPP spent thousands of scarce US to link him to Nicolas Maduro Duro, only for that to collapse.  But now the same PPP Government turns right around with an eagle eye to zero in on a man straight from inside Maduro’s bedchamber.  What kind of country is this?  More pointedly: what kind of people controls the PPP Government, that they always somehow end up with illustrious characters?  Like the glistening Rueben Dario Figueroa Olivari.

For the edification of all Guyanese, a past writing is exhumed.  The PPP Government’s brain trust is only comfortable around folks who possess unique attributes.  One: they have a history of tricky behaviour (some crime committed).  Two: they know the political game (love money, know how to help themselves [aka -like ‘fuh teef’]).  Three: they know when to look and what to look at (see nothing, say nothing).  Four: they are willing to be held hostage (no trying to escape the clutches of the PPP, returning to the PNC/AFC/US/Canada).  Five: they submit to being held to ransom (pay the price through silence).  I know people from the Roman Catholic Church, Hindu temples, Muslim masjids, ‘who see and know but shut de mouth and keep collecting’.  These are the qualities in citizens that the PPP hierarchy identify with, search for, recruit to work for them.  Dirty people to do dirty work.  Anyone who objects knows how to find me.

For all of the above reasons, people with polka-dotted faces find favour with the PPP.  Nothing is wrong with their liver, no trace of jaundice.  Polka-dotted represent the speckled nature of their character, their dimpled standards of operation.  The PPP brain trust (a euphemism) has a long history with such kinds, a long list of them, mostly still under the radar (and beds of the top dogs).  A protected species, they are.  Drainage billions.  Oil billions for development.  Silica City and road developments.  And now the US$2.25 billion bacchanal at Wales.  Get the right type of people, and get anything done.  Any scheme.  Any conspiracy and collusion.  Anything that costs the Guyanese people another pint of blood.

Of all the companies to get to change vapours to liquids at Wales, it could only be Lindsayca for the PPP.  Special love, special gifts, special talents for giving back.  Reflexively, the only acceptable Wales project capitano that there could be came in the outline of Senor Reuben Dario Figueroa Olivari of Venezuela, Andorra, and Lindsayca.  Next go around at life, I want to be friends with the likes of Maduro and his peers from the Guyana side of that pantheon of notables.  It doesn’t pay to be left out of all the fun and games.  Lesson learned, and ‘me nah dunce’.

Summation.  No one erred with the US$2.25 billion (and rising) Wales GTE affair.  Be certain to get certain people to get certain things done a certain way.  It’s the PPP ugly, dirty story.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)