If opposition agrees GCCI could be offered seat on GPL board

Dear Editor, Reference is made to the article published in the August 2, 2017 edition of the Kaieteur News, under the headline, ‘GCCI to push for seats on 16 State Boards’.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure wishes to applaud the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for its push for greater representation, visibility, and participation, in a bid to improve the private sector and our nation as a whole. As stated in the article, part of this push will see GCCI advocating for representation on state boards, including the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL).

It must be noted that the Private Sector Commission (PSC) – of which GCCI is a member – already has a seat on the GPL board. This seat is held by Mr Komal Ramnauth. PSC was selected to hold a seat on the board due to its wider membership countrywide.

However, it must further be noted that the GPL board has a vacant seat that is yet to be occupied by a member of the Parliamentary Opposition, even now, months after the installation of the latest board. Should the opposition agree, I would be willing to allow GCCI to submit a nominee for this seat; this permission must, of course, be sought from the opposition.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure looks forward to working with the GCCI in any other capacity and would like to encourage the body to continue its efforts in developing Guyana.

Yours faithfully, David A Patterson, MP Minister of Public Infrastructure