Kaieteur News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed criticised the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) administration, accusing President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo of systemic corruption, hyper-inflated infrastructure spending, and personal enrichment. Standing along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway yesterday, Mohamed detailed alleged procurement irregularities surrounding the road’s US $161M rehabilitation project.

Focusing on the infrastructure contract, Mohamed questioned the US $161M price tag to rehabilitate approximately 73 kilometers of the existing Linden-Soesdyke Highway. He contrasted the project with the 121-kilometer Linden-to-Mabura Hill Road upgrade, which costs $190M U.S. despite being nearly 50 kilometers longer, passing through far more difficult terrain, and requiring the conversion of mud, slush, sand, and dirt into an asphaltic corridor. Noting that the original highway was carved through dense forest from scratch by American firm B.B. McCormick & Sons under Forbes Burnham between 1966 and 1968, Mohamed argued that spending $161M today to strip and relay asphalt on an existing route is less like a highway project and more like highway robbery.

He said contractors normally apply a 10 to 20% markup, whereas project markups in Guyana under the current administration reach up to 100%. He claimed Vice President Jagdeo initially favoured Chinese contractors while President Ali selected his close friend, Guyamerica, leading to a contract signed in August 2024 between Guyamerica and Namalco Construction Services (from Trinidad & Tobago) with a two-year timeline. Estimating that the actual cost of materials, including asphalt, crusher run, 3,000 streetlight fixtures, and two roundabouts, does not exceed US $50M, Mohamed questioned who receives the remaining US $111M margin. He further criticised ongoing construction delays extending past the original September 2026 deadline, severe safety hazards due to poor light visibility, and allegations that foreign workers are being prioritised over local highway residents for cheap labour.