Like a wildfire, a flicker became a flame almost instantly. Thankfully, it was not a real fire, but the fearful heat of getting stranded without fuel in the tank, without some full spare container tucked away. Can this be happening in a country that records daily production levels of 900,000 barrels of oil? From gas station to gas station, the lines were there, and if any proof was needed, there was plenty All it took was the fear about a potential shortage of fuel, and that sent Guyanese hurrying to join long lines and sudden fuel rationing from Demerara to Berbice, and almost everywhere else.
Six years after First Oil rolled away in the tankers, reports are that President Ali is thinking of Trinidad and Tobago’s oil refineries that have idle capacity, and could use some business from next door Guyana. We at this paper think that from the moment that First Oil became a reality that Guyana’s oil lifts had to have Trinidad as a destination. Transport mileage significantly cut, refineries available, expertise in the region tapped, and the spirit of CARICOM alive and on the move. We think that what is surfacing now ought to have been a move made years ago, if only for the cost savings, and the comfort of a refining market just a stone’s throw away, and spreading the wealth among our own people. Tensions and bottlenecks market instability and supply constraints and logistical chains would mostly have been the concerns of other countries. The political games that are played in this region, the partnerships that are spoken of (when there is some leadership convenience incorporated), have a way of harming instead of helping. The long and angering fuel lines yesterday that snaked across many parts of Guyana provide evidence of how shortsighted politicians can be. How they can be the worst nightmare of their own citizens, their once respected, once helpful, neighbors. Payback and sticking it to neighbors is undergoing a change of vision, and reaching for refinery linkages, that should have been part of a well-established plank in Guyana’s own supply chain and reserves, and that of others in the region.
Now in the crunch of circumstances, the embarrassing ugliness of long lines for gasoline seemingly everywhere, in this country of all places, there followed the usual kneejerk reaction. President Ali springs into action, summons a high-powered meeting, in his ongoing love for dramatic action, and relief is promised by importers called upon to provide answers. With more cars and trucks and business vehicles on the roads, and in their ever-increasing numbers, the hope is that Monday’s fuel crowds are not repeated. The environment is not encouraging, with matters poised on a knife’s edge in the Strait of Hormuz. One misjudgment, one misstep, by any of the combatants and Monday would like a Sunday without a care or a gasoline line. The concern is that it may not be just for a day, but part of that pattern that is woven into Guyana’s history and the psyche of its citizens. If there is one thing that they know well, too well, is having to lineup and wait it out for many basic items of life, of which fuel was only one.
The watch is now on for what the public transportation operators (taxis and minibuses) will do as part of their defensive or exploitative reaction. It is almost second nature in this dog-eat-dog country for one segment of Guyanese to take advantage of other Guyanese. Commuters who depend on public transportation could be in for a stress-filled time, both in the pocket and how they are going to get from one place to another, especially to work and school, then back to their homes. Time will be the best judge of how short-lived the lines are, and for how long any gouging of helpless commuters extend.
It is worrying how within minutes Guyanese went from being traffic snarled to being trapped in lines across the country. Leaders must come out of the clouds and get their feet on the ground. Cease playing politics, start working to serve Guyanese better. Make the best use of this oil wealth, with the practical and comforting.
