Oil Wealth Without Accountability Is Driving Guyana Toward Decay

Dear Editor,

We are fast qualifying to be the richest and most self-righteous comedians in the world today. One: Examine the revenues from gold, other minerals, and oil and gas, we are per capita the richest in the world. In other words, divide the vast sums, even without renegotiation and ringfencing, flowing into the treasury by our sudden increase of population of one million, no citizen of any country from the USA to the Gulf states is richer than us.

And I challenge the political pundits and party propogandist to disprove the above. Not to mention the glorious merry-go-round related to approximately U.S.$1.1B in taxes to Guyana, paid or not paid. In addition to the latest inconsistencies from the high command and other sources which shows a difference of massive sums that may have evaporated, whereby the governments estimate of US $4.08 billion of oil revenue for the second half of 2026, merely amounts to approximately 27.4%, substantially below the 39.8% figure that was announced.

But we are told by our high command that a contributing factor for the irritating “blackouts” is the use of air-conditions and electric fans. I hereby suggest a worthy alternative, that the unwanted persons being exported to Guyana and joyously accepted by our government, be employed as “fan bearers” and be given ancient feather fans, as those used to keep the pharaohs cool, to cool the offices of the “big ones”, this should reduce the pressure on the grid, and therefore no need to bring, what we are hearing is a third Turkish power ship, and at what cost we may never be told.

I will not comment on the wanton waste of state funds to reconstruct a strip of road on Princess Street, from Cemetery Road to St Stephens Street, the second contract for a simple road project.

A pattern observable everywhere, poor performance by certain contractor, but by sleight of hand they are back in business. Here I don’t blame the godly, goodly Bishop who may be simply carrying out orders by the local Papal Bull.

Recently I attended a function and could not believe my ears when I heard some who were critical of the government in the late 70s – 80s, during the oil crisis, say that the ordinary man would have been much better off today, if the “Kabaka” was around and had access to the present untold riches. Both Jagan and Burnham must be weeping as the look upon Guyana seven decades after they initiated the struggle for independence and control of our natural resources.

Those of us who pray, must pray fervently to save us from the dark dungeons of decadence, decay, and recolonisation, or is it re-enslavement.

Yours truly,
Hamilton Green