Dear Editor,
At the risk of being accused of being repetitive, I again pose the question to the President and those administering the affairs of our country; why are we encouraging, or more appropriately sponsoring companies to come and explore, or perhaps the better term is to exploit, our gold and our people? With oil and gas, and existing gold companies operating in Guyana, why would a sane, sensible and incorruptible government, with fanfare, bring in more people to harvest our gold, this is beyond belief
First; gold don’t rust, second; history has shown gold will always be valuable, third; why not leave that gold in the ground to allow Guyanese to develop technology and resources to harvest gold, beyond the earlier efforts of the poke-knockers of the twentieth century era.
Next, as we boast about these new investments, has anyone examined the destruction of our waterways, our fauna, flora, and in some cases the dismemberment of the moral fabric of our society.
Next, what about something we opposed on our march to Independence, that is, the creation of forms of apartheid communities in some regions.
Next, the people who mine our gold, diamonds, oil and gas sell these items on the world market and earn US, EU, Pound Sterling, and other foreign currency, why it is therefore that ordinary people are burdened with an exchange rate of over 200gyd to 1usd, creating conditions for increased cost of living.
Dear editor and citizens, we are not a million people, and therefore could you elicit answers, clear and lucid answers to the above. For the moment I avoid what appears to be the shenanigans and secrecy of relationships with the government and these folks who have found Eldorado. In the meantime we are told to rejoice and be grateful for a very thin slice of the cake.
What will we say to succeeding generations who must live in areas where there is no wildlife, no chirping of birds, and what was once clear, drinkable water, is now murky, cyanide-laced streams where reptiles fear to tread.
Yours truly,
Elder Hamilton Green
