by Randy Gopaul
There is a storm gathering over Guyana, and the windows of the boardrooms and diplomatic missions are firmly shut. The private sector, the diplomatic corps, and foreign investors are listening to the rumble of discontent, yet they refuse to look up. They are silent while the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) wages a campaign that targets the very fabric of our society, but they are not silent because they are ignorant. They are silent because, for now, the ledger balances.
We see it in the erosion of our institutions. We see it in the disenfranchisement of unions, the abuse of public servants, and the undermining of an independent judiciary . We see it in the targeting of African Guyanese lands through dubious co-op schemes and in the discriminatory allocation of government contracts. We see a government that has isolated and targeted citizens and NGOs who dare to speak truth to power. We see it in their abuse of the justice system to target enemies like Azruddin Mohamed and before him Benschop, Kidackee, Duncan, Mayers and others. And yet, those with the capital to influence change, and those with the diplomatic mandate to protect human rights, say nothing.
The private sector are asked to pay bribes for access, they know that government officials and their surrogates compete against them in the marketplace, and they know that a government that disregards the rule of law is a government that will eventually disregard each and every one of them. The private sector knows that when contracts are awarded not on merit but on political affiliation, the business environment becomes toxic for everyone except the connected few. They know that targeting one segment of the population, whether through land grabs or marginalization, sets a precedent that threatens all property owners. By staying silent, the private sector thinking they are protecting their investments; but they are accepting a risk premium that will eventually bankrupt the nation’s goodwill.
Diplomats claim to stand for democratic values, yet they routinely look the other way when the judiciary is undermined. They invite the influencers to lavish events and offer platitudes about “dialogue” while the government isolates its critics. Their silence is a green light for further abuses. History will not judge diplomats kindly for prioritizing trade relations over human rights.
Foreign investors have come to Guyana for the oil, for the gold, for the opportunities. But they must understand that investment does not happen in a vacuum. They fail to realize that they are investing in a society. A society that is currently under siege. The anger they will soon see in the streets, the frustration in the communities, will not be a temporary political squabble. They will observe the effects of structural rot. And when the whirlwind comes, and it will come, it will not distinguish between the politician who wielded the whip and the investor who paid for the silence.
We know many of you do not care about the people of Guyana in a moral sense. Your fiduciary duties are to your shareholders, not to our public servants or our civil society activists. That is fine, so allow us to appeal to your self-preservation.
The whirlwind is coming. It is coming for the contracts, for the stability, and for the reputation of this country. It is coming because the government is fearful, they are losing their influence and the people are burdened, angry, and they are organizing. When that whirlwind hits, your capital will not be protected. Your diplomatic immunity will generate no influence. The only thing that protects an investment is a stable, just, and free society. Without that, you are all merely gambling, waiting to see just how much the people will bear before exploding.
Today, I plead with you, speak now while the people will listen. Use your influence to call for the restoration of the rule of law. Silence is not golden; it is the sound of a ticking bomb. Do not wait until the smoke clears to realize you backed the wrong side of history.
