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Guyanese must stand up to and speak up about the plundering of their country Aug 13, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, The number of people calling themselves proud Guyanese is quite significant.  It is summertime in the diaspora, meaning there will be many carnivals and festivals with Caribbean themes. Noticeably, there will be strong representation from Guyanese local and abroad wearing headwear, footwear, and other apparel with Guyana logos and the golden arrowhead displayed for all to see and festively shouting how they are proud to have roots in Guyana. I honestly do not have a problem with people calling themselves proud Guyanese, but I do have a problem that of 800,000 Guyanese, only less than eight speak openly about the plundering of Guyana’s oil and resources by foreign companies that pay little or no tax nor provide adequate insurance protection that is required by law and industry standards. When you ask many Guyanese about oil and resources, they give you a blank stare, when you ask them about Burnham, Jagan, PNC, and PPP, then they all show how knowledgeable people they are. Why is it like this? Are we just wired for this racially-divisive politics being designed by the politicians and the foreign exploiters for them to live the good life at the expense of ordinary Guyanese? Burnham and Jagan get all kinds of flak but these two leaders were key in our post-independence country. Guyana’s survival in this period depended on them, they were in a world where every country was either Communist or Western-influenced, and this internal conflict in many countries destabilised them so bad many countries went into full-scale civil wars that they have not fully recovered from. Some countries right in Guyana’s backyard in South and Central America, and even Jamaica, but Burnham and Jagan did their best to give Guyanese a home country. Every country has bad times and dark days, Post-Independence Guyana’s dark days were the 1964 riots. If this continues to be on the minds of Guyanese when voting, let’s have an inquiry and hear from survivors or descendants of those who passed on to have some kind of racial reconciliation. Those who ran from Guyana in the 60’s and 70’s to the ABC countries and criticized Guyana should also tell the truth. While it is every person’s right to move to wherever they want, the diaspora should also say in the 60’s and 70’s all they got in the ABC was slave like low-paying jobs in those countries, white people didn’t serve them in restaurants, and their own African, Indian and Pakistani brothers and sisters whom they looked up to snubbed them as low castes. I never voted for Burnham, but Burnham must be credited for keeping the Guyana dollar high, this is the number one thing that keeps foreign exploiters away. Arthur Chung, Burnham, Jagan, or Hoyte would never have given away Guyana like these current sellouts, scampish, self-serving scoundrels masquerading as political leaders in Guyana. Because of these current and recent leaders, Guyana has been sold out and is on a path to complete destruction as they have brought in both the loud and silent foreign exploiters to plunder Guyana. Global partnership is the best way for Guyana to manage its resources to benefit both the citizens who own the resources, and the investors who bring investment and expertise. But when the “foreign investors”, and a minute few locals get everything and the citizens get pittance that can’t feed them, then this becomes unacceptable and unsustainable as currently happening in Guyana. Guyana now has the loud foreign exploiters like ExxonMobil and Omai as well as the silent Chinese companies that have a significant stake in Guyana’s oil, gold, bauxite, timber, manganese, wholesale/retail business, etc., and having Guyana on the belt and road initiative, building airports, roads, bridges and other infrastructure on debt. Guyanese do not know the implications of this, calling it progress, if this is done by revenues, it is good, but when done on debt, then it is a handing over of Guyana to them if Guyana can’t repay the debts, like Sri Lanka and other countries. The Guyanese businesses who rent them to the Chinese for a few extra dollars should know they are giving up the market share of wholesale and retail shopping businesses they owned and controlled before for a few extra dollars, but this was inevitable since the government gives the foreigners duty-free concessions on import/export duties while GRA will run down Guyanese for taxes but would exempt the foreign companies. Guyanese who support the current “Foreign Investment”, policy note the following story. Nigerian Authorities had to close down a Chinese Supermarket in the Capital City of Abuja because the Chinese running the market said the supermarket is only for Chinese and turned away the locals. I bet when this happens in Guyana nothing will be done, if not happening already. The VP boasts about hotels coming to Guyana creating jobs for Guyanese. The foreign exploiters don’t even want to rent Guyanese properties as they consider black and brown Guyanese unfit to live among them. This is just like the old colonial days I know, when the colonizers lived in the gated compounds, with security and comfortable living while Guyanese lived in logies without electricity and water. The foreign exploiters will plunder Guyana comfortably from these new hotels while Guyanese will do the cooking, cleaning, pet sitting, and pampering for them. When these foreign exploiters want something you have, they are very nice to you, when they don’t need you, they look at brown and black people with scorn and disdain. This is the exact reason the previous coalition government got unseated because they lied to the people. They can blame GECOM all they want, but they failed the citizens by lying, and that’s why they are in opposition. The political parties boast of their manifestoes, which manifest into two manifestations, one as opposition and the other when in power. The VP holds weekly press conferences giving presentations that should be done by the minister of public works, housing, education, agriculture, health, etc., but doesn’t give one on natural resources or oil of which he is directly in charge of. Instead, he redirects queries to Vickram Bharrat, who as old people say is a shadow in dark night since he avoids the public. The VP’s economic philosophy is not to collect more revenues from oil or resources companies operating here through taxes or import/export duties, but to take on debt, saying Guyana is attractive to global lenders. Of course, everyone wants to lend the richest country per capita money, but not because the country has the capacity for debt means the government has to take debt while foregoing tax revenues. The modern form of colonization is to put a resource-rich country in debt and then take over. The VP lambastes and blames APNU for all the wrongs in Guyana, I don’t blame him, if APNU continues to accept the blame and lambasting then continue handing to them. When The AFC leader proposed that a percentage of the oil revenue should go directly to citizens, the VP threw a tantrum, saying Guyanese are benefitting through government spending on infrastructure and other government programmes. How many citizens benefit from this continues to be a mystery. This is the perfect system for the exploiters, Guyana builds roads, airports, bridges, seaports, and power sources, which are used to land and transport the equipment and cargo to exploit the resources while simultaneously transporting the wealth of Guyana out. If these infrastructures are necessary, why should Guyana’s share and pay debt for them? When the resources are completely plundered and the foreign exploiters leave, these infrastructures will become white elephants, which Guyanese will have to maintain. Guyana is paying all the tolls, import/export duties, landing fees, and freight expenses for the foreign companies operating here, so who is benefitting from all the infrastructure expenditures? Guyanese don’t know what the agreements with foreign companies are, and when such questions are asked, those in charge go into tantrum mode. A Vice News undercover video had showed a Chinese agent openly saying the Guyana Government is for sale. The Minister of State of the previous government flew to China on a state trip, to this day, no one knows what deal he made on behalf of Guyana since he made no address to anyone even as he is required by law to do so. The only thing Guyana’s MPs are good for is to separate Guyanese from their resource wealth. Guyana has the resources everyone wants, so why does Guyana continue to get nothing in its favour? Exxon wants no renegotiation, pay no taxes, no restrictions on flaring and unregulated dumping of produced water into the ocean, no meters at the oil pumps, no capping of interest rate, no ring-fencing, no penalties for questionable accounting transactions, no full liability insurance coverage, no petroleum commission, no declaration on new oil finds, and they get all of these things with not even a peep from those in leadership political, and other influential bodies that should be standing up for Guyana. When I see Guyanese suffer in their daily lives, I am tempted to look at them with scorn and disdain just like the foreign exploiters knowing their rightful share of Guyana’s wealth is within their reach, yet they fail to reach out and take it, instead, they reach out to beg. Guyanese are awake but are still blinded by the PNC colours in one eye and the PPP colours in the other. Glenn Lall is sacrificing everything for Guyanese to remove their political party blinders, to unite and truly live like the title “world’s richest citizens per capita”. Maybe Lall should try sweet rice on Guyanese next. Sincerely, R. David Related Similar Articles

Our well-being and rights to equity should not be deferred Aug 13, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, The Jagdeo/Ali regime continues to fail the society by excluding from their planning, if there is one such, the people and their representatives. For instance, the current housing drive has not taken into consideration the will, desire and a clear focus on modern development, consistent with the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI concentrates on reflecting the number of persons brought out of poverty and having the basic amenities of life such as healthcare, education, potable water, access to food, etc. Moving persons from their location to another is not only myopic but perceived by many as designed to not only break up families but engage in geographical displacement for the purpose of gerrymandering. People are being placed in areas where they are further deprived because of the absence of or inadequate social services such as daycare facilities and basic amenities. The deprivation of these forces persons to dig into their meagre income to access these services. There are instances where persons who live in Buxton, East Coast Demerara are allocated house lots in Region 3, and those living in Stewartville, West Coast Demerara are given house lots at Vigilance East, Coast Demerara. It has also been observed that on most occasions, the design of these housing developments has not taken into consideration important elements such as sports, agriculture, security and health. The regime is not building communities, they are building new repressive areas. This is not meant to be an insult to those who have made tremendous sacrifices and are desperate to own a home of their own. This is meant to make the point that the government ought to be doing better, can afford to do better, but lacks the will and interest to do so. The current housing programme has failed the ordinary worker. Desperation has forced people into seeing even a 4×4 as a blessing. The PPP had an opportunity to be guided by housing developments and communities of the past even if they did not want to acknowledge, it happened under the Forbes Burnham administration. In those communities, people had all weathered roads, schools, playground, cinema/entertainment, police outpost, market/shopping mall, health centres, running water and electricity. That time of development saw the homeowner having not just keys to a house, but a house built on irrigated land with drainage and sewage systems. These are all standing to emulate, improve and build upon. As we address the health services, one will recognise that so often, proclamations are being made of the construction of new hospitals and clinics, the purchasing of equipment and large quantities of pharmaceuticals, but yet at the same time, the services continue to decline, putting the health of the citizens at risk. Here again, the message that is being sent is as we complain the government will spend money on purchasing and building rather than establishing a proficient health service to deliver for the nation. As we examine the hubris within this society, one will observe that we are travelling a path where there exists a total disconnect between the decisions of the government and the needs of the people. Issues such as respecting fundamental rights and freedoms continue to elude us and while some may consider these rights not necessary, they should be reminded that these rights form the bedrock upon which all legal resource will flow. On the matter of oil and gas, citizens see the exploitation of these resources as opportunities to escape poverty. This view is also articulated by the nation’s political leaders, yet they do little or nothing to make it real. Whereas the World Bank says half the society lives in poverty, I rather suspect the number is higher. The visibility of poverty cannot be missed. There exist two schools of thought on the management of oil resources. 1) should we fight now to get our fair share from the existing contract or 2) should we wait as promised that our share will come when we renegotiate a new contract, or we get a new government. The fight must be now for equal and equitable distribution of what the existing contract allows us to acquire. Ordinary citizens/working class must demand our fair share now, to do otherwise is to fight for the powers that be to get more and deny ourselves. Our well-being and rights to equity should not be deferred. Sincerely, Lincoln Lewis Related Similar Articles

Disappointed GECOM did not address most recent allegation of electoral fraud Aug 13, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, I welcome the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) interaction with the public regarding preparations for the upcoming General and Regional Elections in which it “addressed concerns about electoral integrity by outlining the safeguards in place to prevent multiple voting and other forms of fraud.” This newspaper reported that GECOM was responding to concerns raised by the AFC which had urged the removal of outdated names from the National Register of Registrants Database and the introduction of biometric and electronic voting to enhance electoral integrity. GECOM’s pro forma response repeated the usual litany of safeguards of our electoral system which included  the conduct of an intensive voter education programme and training of Election Day staff; accurate identification of the voter and the use of indelible ink; the presence of political party agents at each polling station and during the counting of ballots at the place of poll; and the presence of security personnel from the GPF and local and international observers throughout the voting and counting processes. There was also a proposal to install cameras in polling stations. I am dissatisfied by both the level of concern expressed and the quality of the solutions advanced because of the fact that all available evidence suggests that the greater likelihood, and consequence, of electoral fraud is not on Election Day, at the place of poll or involving the voter, polling day staff or scrutineering but in activities after the conclusion of the poll. This obvious fact is recognized by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) established after the 2020 elections to enquire into attempts “to undermine and frustrate the legally prescribed process for the counting, ascertaining and tabulation of votes … and on attempts to prevent a true declaration of the results” of that election. None of the measures outlined above are designed to prevent a true declaration of the results which is the fundamental objective of electoral fraud, and neither can the installation of cameras at polling stations for one day which would, very likely, have to be re-purchased every five years. It is incredibly disappointing (maybe it was not asked ) that GECOM did not address the most recent instance of alleged fraud or reveal any safeguards to prevent its recurrence given that the COI found that “the integrity of and trust in the electoral system of Guyana was undermined and temporarily overthrown by the shenanigans of election officials at the highest levels of the system” and that both the GECOM Chair and head of the Secretariat were among the 26 witnesses that provided testimony before the COI and assisted in forming the opinion that there were “shockingly brazen attempts” by the former Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) and Returning Officer (RO) of Region 4 “to derail and corrupt the statutorily prescribed procedure for the counting, ascertaining and tabulation of the results of that election … for the purpose of stealing that election.” I would expect that all stakeholders in our elections would be interested to learn, at a minimum and as soon as possible, whether the proposal by CEO Vishnu Persaud to install cameras in polling stations extend to the tabulation centre(s) and what is the legally prescribed procedure for the contentious counting, ascertaining and tabulation of results. Also, whether the use of a spreadsheet, computer/laptop, USB or other electronic device is illegal, mandated or optional and is GECOM aware of the existence, or use, of false Statements of Poll (SOP) in the last election and what is the process for the authentication/verification of SOPs used in the tabulation of results and does it involve observers, agents and commissioners. If these concerns are no addressed, and the “shenanigans” not clearly identified, punished and defeated, then I fear that the integrity of, and trust in, our electoral system would be irreparably damaged and clearly GECOM is not yet prepared for elections soon. Sincerely, Oscar Dolphin Related Similar Articles

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