Once again, Guyana stands at a crossroads where its vast natural wealth,oil, gold, timber, and minerals,is being extracted not for the benefit of its people, but for the profit of Western corporations and a corrupt political elite. The rush of foreign investment into the country is not a sign of progress, but of exploitation dressed in the false promise of development. To these corporations, Guyana is not a nation of people with dreams, struggles, and rights,it is a faceless frontier, a place to plunder. And tragically, our own government is complicit in this betrayal.
To the outside world, Guyana is not a society grappling with racial tensions, a crushing cost of living, or systemic inequality,it is simply an investment opportunity. Foreign companies do not care about the struggles of Guyanese workers earning starvation wages while multinationals extract billions. They do not care about Indigenous lands being destroyed for profit, nor do they care about the environmental devastation left behind. Their concern begins and ends where their balance sheets do.
This is not new. History has shown us that when Western capital floods into a poor but resource-rich nation, the result is rarely prosperity for its citizens. Instead, a small elite grows wealthy while the majority see only crumbs. The same forces that once exploited Guyana under colonialism have simply rebranded,now they come with contracts instead of conquest, but the outcome remains the same.
Forbes Burnham, for all his flaws, understood this dynamic. He recognized that Guyana’s resources should serve Guyanese first. His demand for 50% ownership in foreign ventures and the nationalization of key industries often described as radicalism, was clearly an attempt to ensure that Guyana retained control of its own destiny. Whether one agrees with his methods or not, his underlying principle was correct: a nation that does not own its resources will forever be at the mercy of those who do.
Today, the PPP government has abandoned even the pretense of resistance. Instead of demanding fair terms, they have turned Guyana into a fire sale. Ministers and connected elites take their cuts,kickbacks disguised as “consultancy fees” and “partnerships”,while the people get hollow promises of future jobs and infrastructure. The oil contracts, mining deals, and land concessions are structured to benefit ExxonMobil, Chinese loggers, Canadian gold miners, and their local enablers,not the Guyanese worker struggling to afford food.
The government and its supporters will argue that foreign capital is necessary,that without it, Guyana cannot develop. But this is a lie. Investment is not inherently bad, but investment on exploitative terms is. Norway took control of its oil wealth and built a sovereign wealth fund to benefit its citizens. Botswana negotiated diamond deals that lifted the nation out of poverty. Meanwhile, Guyana’s leaders act as if we should be grateful for whatever scraps foreign companies leave us.
Worse, this surrender is sold to the public as “progress.” The same politicians who claim to represent the people are the ones signing away their future. When citizens raise concerns about low wages, environmental destruction, or the lack of local benefits, they are dismissed as “anti-development.” But what kind of development enriches foreign shareholders while leaving Guyanese with polluted water, gutted forests, and an economy where the cost of living outstrips wages?
Guyana must wake up. The current path is not sustainable,it is a repeat of the colonial extraction that has defined our history. We do not have to reject foreign investment outright, but we must demand terms that prioritize Guyanese lives over corporate profits. That means:
- Re-negotiating oil and mining contracts to ensure Guyana receives a fair share,not the paltry percentages we currently accept.
- Strong local content laws that force foreign companies to hire and train Guyanese at fair wages, rather than importing cheap labor.
- Transparency in deals,no more secret contracts where politicians and their friends profit while the public is kept in the dark.
- Protection of Indigenous and community lands from being sold off without consent.
- Investment in diversification so that Guyana is not just an extraction economy, but a self-sustaining one.
If we do not act now, Guyana will become another cautionary tale,a nation that had everything, yet gained nothing. The time for blind trust in foreign investors and corrupt politicians is over. The resources beneath our soil and off our shores belong to the people of Guyana. It’s time we started acting like it.
