By Stabroek staff September 18, 2009 in Business
Tomado de:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/business/09/18/opportunities-challenges-loom-in-the-wake-of-opening-of-takutu-bridge-gcci-president/
Says local industries must enhance competitiveness to win Brazilian markets
Warns of greater security challenges ahead
This week’s commissioning of the Takutu Bridge formalizing a road link between Guyana and Brazil underscores both the opportunities and the challenges that Guyana will face in pursuit of the strengthening of ties with its southern neighbour, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chandradat Chintamani told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week.
Opportunities and challenges: The Takatu bridge
“The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) welcomes the formal opening of the Takutu Bridge. At the same time the event serves to remind us of the myriad challenges associated with managing relations with our powerful neighbour,” Chintamani said.
“On its own the opening of the Takutu Bridge does no more than create an official crossing point between Guyana and Brazil. There has always been the movement of people between the two countries. Now that there is an official crossing point, however, there is clearly a need to create enhanced security mechanisms to ensure that illegal crossings are limited if not eradicated. Given what we have already seen in terms of movement across the border that is not a challenge that we can afford to underestimate,” Chintamani said.
And while the GCCI President welcomed the announcement by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva that his country will be engaging Guyana in discussions with regard to the construction of an all-weather road from Lethem to Linden, he told Stabroek Business that Guyana should not limit its thinking to the announcement made by the Brazilian President. “We need to look beyond what President Lula has said and to explore other possibilities for financing both the road and the deep water harbour. These, along with the Takatu Bridge, represent a holistic economic infrastructure that will contribute to transforming our economy.”
The GCCI President said that while the full effects of the creation of an official crossing between Guyana and Brazil are unlikely to be felt for some time the challenges for the local private sector were already patently apparent. “We know, for example, that our manufacturing sector lacks the capacity to satisfy even 1 per cent of the Brazilian market. That is an important challenge. If we are to try to satisfy that market we need to entirely overhaul our thinking as far as our approaches to production are concerned. Perhaps, more importantly we need to find ways of rendering the production process more competitive. That is the only way that we can take advantage of the Brazilian market.”
Local private sector bodies have held a number of fora and have also been engaging state officials and agencies on ways in which the productive sector can equip itself to take advantage of the road link between the two countries.
Chintamani told Stabroek Business that the opportunities afforded by the creation of a road link between Guyana and Brazil should not be allowed to obscure the reality of the challenges that inhere in the creation of a facility for the greater movement of people and goods between the two countries. “Free movement between Guyana and a country as large and as diverse as Brazil has its own implications, its own challenges. We need, for example, to be aware of the importance of putting security mechanisms in place to protect ourselves from the smuggling of illegal goods into the country which can have the effect of killing off many of our vulnerable industries. We need to remind ourselves that the Takutu Bridge is, in effect, a gateway to Guyana for other parts of South America including countries that are known for the production of counterfeit goods. Then there are those security concerns that arise out of the possibility of the movement of arms into Guyana. We are likely to lose much more than we gain if we are ineffective in monitoring what comes in and what goes out. Here there are challenges for the Customs and Immigration authorities as well as for the security services. These agencies will clearly need to raise their game. Closer ties with Brazil are welcome but that does not mean that we can afford to lose sight of the need to safeguard our borders,” Chintamani said.
Related Articles
The Takatu Bridge - In June 2007 Stabroek Business was informed by Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana His Excellency Arthur
Takutu Bridge access road almost completed - The finishing touches are being added to the road leading to the Takutu Bridge on the Guyana side, s
The Takutu Bridge is inconveniently sited for Lethem residents - Dear Editor, The Takutu Bridge is now in semi operation and all other access routes to Guyana have s
GCCI President mulling practical responses to economic downturn - Finding creative ways of bringing relief to Guyanese consumers at a time when the impact of the curr
Nota del editor del blog: Al referenciarse a la República Cooperativa de Guyana se deben de tener en cuenta los 159.500Km2, de territorios ubicados al oeste del río Esequibo conocidos con el nombre de Guayana Esequiba o Zona en Reclamación sujetos al Acuerdo de Ginebra del 17 de febrero de 1966.
Territorios estos sobre los cuales el gobierno Venezolano en representación de la Nación venezolana se reservo sus derechos sobre los territorios de la Guayana Esequiba en su nota del 26 de mayo de 1966 al reconocerse al nuevo Estado de Guyana .
“...por lo tanto, Venezuela reconoce como territorio del nuevo Estado, el que se sitúa al este de la margen derecha del río Esequibo y reitera ante la comunidad internacional, que se reserva expresamente sus derechos de soberanía territorial sobre la zona que se encuentra en la margen izquierda del precitado río; en consecuencia, el territorio de la Guayana Esequiba sobre el cual Venezuela se reserva expresamente sus derechos soberanos, limita al Este con el nuevo Estado de Guyana, a través de la línea del río Esequibo, tomando éste desde su nacimiento hasta su desembocadura en el Océano Atlántico...”
Tomado de:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/business/09/18/opportunities-challenges-loom-in-the-wake-of-opening-of-takutu-bridge-gcci-president/
Says local industries must enhance competitiveness to win Brazilian markets
Warns of greater security challenges ahead
This week’s commissioning of the Takutu Bridge formalizing a road link between Guyana and Brazil underscores both the opportunities and the challenges that Guyana will face in pursuit of the strengthening of ties with its southern neighbour, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chandradat Chintamani told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week.
Opportunities and challenges: The Takatu bridge
“The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) welcomes the formal opening of the Takutu Bridge. At the same time the event serves to remind us of the myriad challenges associated with managing relations with our powerful neighbour,” Chintamani said.
“On its own the opening of the Takutu Bridge does no more than create an official crossing point between Guyana and Brazil. There has always been the movement of people between the two countries. Now that there is an official crossing point, however, there is clearly a need to create enhanced security mechanisms to ensure that illegal crossings are limited if not eradicated. Given what we have already seen in terms of movement across the border that is not a challenge that we can afford to underestimate,” Chintamani said.
And while the GCCI President welcomed the announcement by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva that his country will be engaging Guyana in discussions with regard to the construction of an all-weather road from Lethem to Linden, he told Stabroek Business that Guyana should not limit its thinking to the announcement made by the Brazilian President. “We need to look beyond what President Lula has said and to explore other possibilities for financing both the road and the deep water harbour. These, along with the Takatu Bridge, represent a holistic economic infrastructure that will contribute to transforming our economy.”
The GCCI President said that while the full effects of the creation of an official crossing between Guyana and Brazil are unlikely to be felt for some time the challenges for the local private sector were already patently apparent. “We know, for example, that our manufacturing sector lacks the capacity to satisfy even 1 per cent of the Brazilian market. That is an important challenge. If we are to try to satisfy that market we need to entirely overhaul our thinking as far as our approaches to production are concerned. Perhaps, more importantly we need to find ways of rendering the production process more competitive. That is the only way that we can take advantage of the Brazilian market.”
Local private sector bodies have held a number of fora and have also been engaging state officials and agencies on ways in which the productive sector can equip itself to take advantage of the road link between the two countries.
Chintamani told Stabroek Business that the opportunities afforded by the creation of a road link between Guyana and Brazil should not be allowed to obscure the reality of the challenges that inhere in the creation of a facility for the greater movement of people and goods between the two countries. “Free movement between Guyana and a country as large and as diverse as Brazil has its own implications, its own challenges. We need, for example, to be aware of the importance of putting security mechanisms in place to protect ourselves from the smuggling of illegal goods into the country which can have the effect of killing off many of our vulnerable industries. We need to remind ourselves that the Takutu Bridge is, in effect, a gateway to Guyana for other parts of South America including countries that are known for the production of counterfeit goods. Then there are those security concerns that arise out of the possibility of the movement of arms into Guyana. We are likely to lose much more than we gain if we are ineffective in monitoring what comes in and what goes out. Here there are challenges for the Customs and Immigration authorities as well as for the security services. These agencies will clearly need to raise their game. Closer ties with Brazil are welcome but that does not mean that we can afford to lose sight of the need to safeguard our borders,” Chintamani said.
Related Articles
The Takatu Bridge - In June 2007 Stabroek Business was informed by Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana His Excellency Arthur
Takutu Bridge access road almost completed - The finishing touches are being added to the road leading to the Takutu Bridge on the Guyana side, s
The Takutu Bridge is inconveniently sited for Lethem residents - Dear Editor, The Takutu Bridge is now in semi operation and all other access routes to Guyana have s
GCCI President mulling practical responses to economic downturn - Finding creative ways of bringing relief to Guyanese consumers at a time when the impact of the curr
Nota del editor del blog: Al referenciarse a la República Cooperativa de Guyana se deben de tener en cuenta los 159.500Km2, de territorios ubicados al oeste del río Esequibo conocidos con el nombre de Guayana Esequiba o Zona en Reclamación sujetos al Acuerdo de Ginebra del 17 de febrero de 1966.
Territorios estos sobre los cuales el gobierno Venezolano en representación de la Nación venezolana se reservo sus derechos sobre los territorios de la Guayana Esequiba en su nota del 26 de mayo de 1966 al reconocerse al nuevo Estado de Guyana .
“...por lo tanto, Venezuela reconoce como territorio del nuevo Estado, el que se sitúa al este de la margen derecha del río Esequibo y reitera ante la comunidad internacional, que se reserva expresamente sus derechos de soberanía territorial sobre la zona que se encuentra en la margen izquierda del precitado río; en consecuencia, el territorio de la Guayana Esequiba sobre el cual Venezuela se reserva expresamente sus derechos soberanos, limita al Este con el nuevo Estado de Guyana, a través de la línea del río Esequibo, tomando éste desde su nacimiento hasta su desembocadura en el Océano Atlántico...”
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