The people of Guyana are plunging into deeper woes every day. They are already struggling to eke out a living if they depend on the government. Public servants are finding that their pay is buying less and less. Even public transportation is going out of reach.
The minibuses want to charge more because their taking from their operations is declining in the face of rising fuel prices. However, as if to ensure that these operators remain in the poverty trap the powers that be have come out to announce that the government has not authorized any hike in the fares.
Caught in this bind, the minibus operators are convinced that the government wants to put them out of existence. They are claiming that they are being threatened by the government that it is prepared to grant contracts to foreign investors to bring in the big buses.
However, there are more pressing issues. All over the world people have bought into the talk that Guyana has the fastest growing economy in the world. They all believe that Guyana is a rich country.
In rich countries the people enjoy excellent medical care, the poor are supported to the point that they do not starve, children enjoy top level education and the conditions are very favourable.
In Guyana the people cannot boast about medical care. Those who can afford must seek some sort of medical care at the private hospitals or travel overseas for the requisite treatment. This will be an issue for discussion later.
The more pressing issue is the threat of widespread power outage. There are reports that the government is having problems negotiating with the owners of the two power ships that provide electricity.
These ships charge a fortune. In addition, Guyana has to pay for the fuel that powers the ships. The records show that Guyana pays roughly GY$72.6 million (about US $350,000) daily for the Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) required to operate its two rented Karpowership powerships.
The vessels cost the country about GY $126 million per day in total, which covers the fuel, daily rental, and operational fees.
According to a document which was provided to the National Assembly on April 22, 2025, during the consideration of the 2025 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Guyana should have spent an eye-watering $26billion on fuel for the two power ships from Turkish company Karpowership in 2025.
Former Minister responsible for electricity generation, David Patterson, is bemoaning the fact that Guyana refused to buy its own generators. The cost of a generator is US$1million per megawatt.
He said that Guyana could have bought the two powerships over the two years that they were rented. The powerships generate 96 megawatts. Five power generators each with a 20 megawatt capacity would have cost US$100 million. These generators would have had a lifespan of twenty-five years.
Over two years Guyana spent US$426.6 million on renting the powerships, buying fuel for the ships and transporting the fuel. Think about the number of generators that Guyana could have bought. `
There would have been constant power, and end to blackout. Nothing can be more frustrating than not having food and then having to dwell in darkness.
The company renting the powerships to Guyana must have recognized that it had landed a cash cow. The contract came to an end on May 21, 2026. Negotiations between Guyana and the company have not gone well.
Guyana wanted an additional three weeks to continue negotiations. The company gave the local negotiators until June 1, 2026. The company had threatened to pull the plug on Guyana. Three days later the government has said nothing.
This arrangement was supposed to be temporary because the gas to energy project should have been completed more than a year ago. The government refused to adhere to what had been negotiated by the Granger administration.
Anything fashioned by the People’s National Congress Reform and A Partnership For National Unity had to be discarded. The gas to energy project is not likely until next year if the main figures behind the project are to be believed.
The amount of money being wasted can provide a fifteen per cent pay hike for public servants, substantial support for pensioners and the less fortunate, and generally a great life for all.
This is not to be. But then again, the money is not coming from the pockets of the overlords. They can live well. They have choices. They can holiday overseas and spend millions of dollars at a time. If things do not go well they can pack up and leave for foreign lands and live comfortably.
I have seen people spend money on trivia. Those with too much can gamble and sport. That is why the Guyana government can toss about money in the manner it does. The people who own the powerships love money and Guyana is providing free money.
In the event of blackouts those in power have generators and money to keep them fueled. And in any case the state would be providing the fuel to keep these private generators running.
The nation is not being told anything because the government knows what Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo one said loudly. Guyana has a lot of stupid people.
There is no way the political opposition can challenge what is being done. It is fragmented. The Parliamentary committees that would question government expenditure have not been activated more than nine months after elections.
Someone once said that a people get the government they deserve.
