Whipping boy of the Caribbean no more

Dear Editor,

It is no secret that Guyana has long been the whipping boy of the Caribbean, largely due to its depressed economic status; engendered by inept political leadership, global economic crises, mismanagement of the economy and graft. The consequences of these missteps resulted in life being a struggle for the majority of Guyanese and it was during these years, starting from the 1970’s, that many Guyanese voted with their feet. The pundits are not shy in asserting that we dug ourselves into this hole in which we find ourselves and some would even juxtapose Guyana’s position with the enormous strides made by Singapore who gained independence in 1965, just one year before Guyana did.

However, with the discovery of oil and gas in Guyana in 2015, the fortunes of Guyana have changed dramatically. Some have touted that Guyana is poised to be transformed to become the Dubai of the Caribbean and to have the fastest growing economy in the world. Since then, airlines, bankers, skilled personnel and investors are falling over themselves to cash in on a piece of the action that has come Guyana’s way. By all accounts, the prospects for Guyana due to oil and gas is that Guyana will soon be off the hook and will become the envy of many.

Enter the pundits again, who regularly lambast the present and previous governments for: rushing to sign poor contracts with the oil and gas companies, being ill-prepared for first oil, failing to renegotiate the oil and gas contracts and not taking advice from experts in the field of oil and gas. It is hoped that the present and future governments will not squander this golden opportunity afforded to Guyana to move Guyana’s potential for development from a prospect to a reality and to ensure that the benefits will trickle down to every Guyanese in every corner of this country.

There is no reason why Guyana should return to the years when we found ourselves in a hole or to be visited by the resource curse in the future, given the fact that: we should have learnt from our past experiences, expertise can be accessed both locally and overseas and case studies can be easily accessed to guide us as we move forward with these transformational developmental works. As is often said, we do not have to rediscover the wheel; but undoubtedly, we may have to tweak the models or strategies or approaches used by others to serve our present realities.

In our bid to transition Guyana to the status of a developed nation in as short a time as possible, development works will of necessity encroach on wetlands, savannahs, forested lands and river basins to satisfy the demands for hydro-electric power, additional settlements, agricultural lands, road construction, mining, airstrips and industrial development. It is incumbent that the planners of land use management conscientiously factor in measures to mitigate the likely consequences on the ecosystems and environments that will certainly be impacted. In addition, measures to mitigate soil erosion, flooding, pollution, waste disposal, deforestation, and effects on the flora and fauna must be carefully considered. The impact on residents in the identified areas must be taken into account as well.

It is generally accepted that development comes with a price, but such development must have a human face and a genuine concern for the environment. May economic development accompany economic growth in Guyana. Take to the skies Guyana.

Yours faithfully,

Bernel  L. H. Wickham