From Burnham to Bharrat
Kaieteur News – Hurricane Burnham. We know it well. Not a storm of wind and rain, but of politics and policies. For twenty years, this Category 5 political storm tore through Guyana.
It flattened the economy. No joke. Businesses crumbled like old shacks. Jobs vanished like morning mist. People lined up for food. For rations. Like we were in wartime. But it was just a regular day in Burnham’s Guyana.
Infrastructure? Ha! Roads turned into huge craters as if bombs had dropped into them. Schools and hospitals? Don’t make me laugh. They were relics of a forgotten era. Electricity? Let’s not even talk about that. Daily blackouts. You’d be lucky to see light after sunset. And water supply? When it came it was dangerous to drink it without boiling.
People fled. Like refugees. Seeking betterment in foreign lands. Anywhere but here. The country bled its best and brightest. The young and old. The skilled and unskilled. The hopeful and the hopeless. All ran from Hurricane Burnham.
Massive debt piled up. Like mountains. But no wealth to show. Only the ruins of a once-promising nation. We were rich in natural resources. Poor in everything else. It was a disaster. Worse than any natural disaster. A political disaster.
And now? We’re still reeling again. Our wealth is being frittered away. Leaders stand by. Watching. Doing nothing. We’re sitting on oil. Black gold. But what’s the use if it’s slipping through our fingers?
Guyana had Hurricane Burnham. We survived it. Barely. But are we learning? Look around. Look at our leaders. Look at our wealth. It’s not enough to count our lucky stars. We need action. We need vision. We need to steer clear of political disasters.
So, dem boys seh, let’s not wait for another hurricane. Whether political or natural. Let’s fix our house. Strengthen our foundations. And make sure we’re ready. Because we’ve had enough of disasters. And we deserve better.
Talk half. Leff half
