Dear Editor,
I am a simple man and claim no credentials to economic and financial expertise. I lived through a time when the exchange rate was GY$4 to US$1 and over time it keeps deteriorating for reasons explained many times. Recalling that Guyana up until recently was a non oil producing country, as such we suffered the shocks and vagaries of the oil crisis pushed by Oil Producing Export Countries (OPEC).
Recently the Guyana dollar moved from 201 to 210 and now the market is quoting GY$230 to US$1, resulting in the rise in the cost of living and the widening of the gap between the very rich, the privileged and the ordinary poor citizens.
This contention about Trinidad consuming our foreign exchange and Chinese businesses affecting the exchange rate is maybe just part of the problem and the government must deal with it condignly. For the first time in recent history foreign companies are extracting massive quantities of oil, gold, diamonds, and timber. Those who are harvesting our enormous natural resources trade and sell these products and, in every instance, earn US, Euro, and other foreign currency. Any patriotic government should ensure that the Bank of Guyana and Guyanese generally benefit from this largesse.
Additionally, many Guyanese receive funds from family members in the Caribbean, North America, and Europe. We boast we are the fastest growing economy, accepting this as fact why therefore should there be this shortage of US dollars, etc? Something is wrong and the new administration must waste no time to set things right.
Yours truly,
Hamilton Green
Elder
