GUYANA | Corruption at Core of Guyana’s Infrastructure Crisis Says Forde

Georgetown, Guyana, April 5, 2025 - The state of Guyana’s infrastructure has reached a crisis point, with crumbling roads, bridges on the verge of collapse, and government promises of modernisation falling flat.

Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde said these “features [are] too common in our daily lives,” as he sharply criticised the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government for its inability to deliver on basic infrastructure projects, while simultaneously pointing to deeper issues of corruption at the heart of the problem.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sharply criticised the recently built Heroes Highway in Guyana, calling it “dangerous” and accusing contractors of doing a “terrible job.” During his official visit to Guyana on Thursday, Rubio did not hold back, stating, “If you did that job in America, someone would sue you for a lot of money.”

Rubio, who personally experienced the road during his visit on March 27, described the ride as so rough it nearly left him with a “concussion”—referring to the American definition of the term, meaning a violent impact leading to impaired brain function. He went on to compare the highway to a poorly paved secondary road rather than a critical national infrastructure project. “You’re better off with the dirt road,” Rubio said, emphasising, “If you’re gonna build a road, build a real road.”

The Secretary’s remarks have spotlighted a longstanding issue in Guyana—widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of infrastructure projects and the apparent lack of value for taxpayer money. The construction of Heroes Highway, carried out by 12 local contractors with close ties to the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has faced heavy criticism from many Guyanese citizens.

Forde argues that while Rubio’s criticism of the physical state of the roads is valid, the real issue lies not just in poor engineering or substandard construction, but in the entrenched corruption that plagues the PPP/C administration.

In his letter, Forde contends that billions in public funds allocated for infrastructure projects have been misused or siphoned off, with political patronage and corruption at the forefront. He alleges that road construction and bridge repair contracts are routinely awarded to party loyalists, many of whom lack the competence to execute the work but are skilled in enriching themselves at the public’s expense.

This is not a mere accident of poor engineering, Forde asserts. “It is the result of political decisions driven by kickbacks, favouritism, and outright theft.” He goes on to say that this widespread corruption has led to shoddy construction, overpriced repairs, and the creation of “ghost” projects that serve only to line the pockets of those in power.

While Forde acknowledges that Rubio’s comments highlight the ongoing infrastructure failures, he emphasises that the U.S. Secretary of State’s focus should shift to the systemic corruption that underpins these failures. According to Forde, it is not just about poor construction; it is about a deliberate, systematic looting of public resources that has left Guyanese citizens to suffer the consequences.

The PPP/C government operates with impunity, manipulating contracts and delaying investigations, Forde writes, while the citizens of this country pay the price with their lives, their vehicles, and their futures.

Forde also questions why the international community, including the U.S. government, has not taken a stronger stance on the corruption at the heart of Guyana’s infrastructure crisis. He accuses the PPP/C of deflecting blame through media manipulation and of continuing to benefit from public contracts despite their track record of failures.

Forde urges the international community not to only focus on the visual but also to recognise and address the endemic corruption that enables these failures to persist. He warns that Guyana will never achieve meaningful development until those in power are held accountable for their corruption, mismanagement, and neglect of the nation’s welfare.

In closing, Forde’s letter paints a bleak picture of a government more interested in personal enrichment than in serving the public good, and he calls for the international community to take a stand against the PPP/C’s entrenched corruption that continues to cripple the country’s infrastructure and future.

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