The Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge is one of the most famous science buildings in the world. Out of it have come discoveries which have transformed the lives of all humanity: James Clerk Maxwell’s work in electromagnetism in the 19th century; the splitting of the atom by Rutherford in 1919; the building of the first particle accelerator by Walton and Cockcroft in 1932; Crick and Watson breaking the molecular code of DNA in 1953.
Yet the Cavendish in its most famous years was housed in a cramped and nondescript building in an obscure back street in Cambridge called Free School Lane. It subsisted on meagre budgets.
Its greatest Director, Ernest Rutherford, had a quiet injunction for all who worked there – it became a famous watchword: “We have no money – therefore we must think.”
“We have no money – therefore we must think” – not a bad motto for poor countries, not a bad motto for Guyana. Yet the authorities who lead us have little time to think as they reel from crisis to crisis, rush from set speech to set speech, hurry from listening to the complaints of constituents to refuting opposition grievances, hurtle from the morning’s problem into the afternoon’s disaster. They are dedicated to coping desperately, but seem to have too little time to think and act for the long term.
“We have no money – therefore we must think”. Here are a few simple thoughts:
Thought. Key executives, public servants, diplomats of the right calibre, contribute or save a hundred times, a thousand times, any ‘super-salary’ you may think of paying them. Do not hesitate to compete with the private sector, even internationally, for quality staff.
Thought. Guyana’s progress will go hand in hand with greatly improved education. So put teachers in a special category and double, redouble and triple their salaries. Then you have a real right to expect them to perform. Actively welcome private schools and in more and more state schools give Boards of Governors complete autonomy, including the right to charge fees and pay full-time teachers what they are worth.
Thought. Guyana is a big country with large resources and a tiny population already desperately depleted by too much emigration. All available talents, including those of all party political persuasions, must be pressed into service. Suspicion and tit for tat politics gets the country nowhere. ‘Turning the tables’ is not a viable option. The politics of inclusion is the only politics worth pursuing. Share the future.
Thought. Less red tape leads to more action. Cut customs duties and simplify customs procedures. Examine every outdated process in every government department and ruthlessly weed out all time-worn, useless, redundant, obstructive procedures you can find. Simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify.
Thought. Investment – foreign or local – in businesses which export will be our economic salvation. Welcome it actively and equally, attack the multi-departmental runaround, speed up the procedures. Cut and cut and cut the bureaucracy. Make exporting easy, not an obstacle course.
Thought. There are considerable funds in the pipeline from international agencies to help transform the infrastructural face of Guyana. But they tend to get struck there. Appoint persons expert in moving funds fast through pipelines into projects. Designate senior people whose only responsibility is to speed up the process.
Thought. Nothing lifts the spirit, raises the stature, secures the fame of a nation like its creative artists and sportsmen. Take some of even the pittance we have and use it in favour of our artists and sportsmen. It is the best investment in the soul of a nation.
Thought. Clean rivers are infinitely more important than gold.
Thought. No greater threat faces us than drugs, drug-related crime and crime in general growing more brutal and invasive by the week. Therefore from that pittance also give much more to the police for what they need in the battle against this plague. If friendly countries wish to help us this is where they can make an impact. We must not be too proud to appeal to them.
Thought. Guyana is benefiting immensely from the huge reduction in the oil price. It is understandable that the government would want to retain a significant part of this bonanza in its revenue account. But be reasonable. A good proportion of it should be passed on to individuals and businesses in order (a) to increase spending power in the population thereby stimulating local businesses, and (b) to assist export businesses in particular which will otherwise suffer competitively in the regional and international marketplace. I do not think the 2016 budget goes far enough in this direction.
Thought. Guyanese – both individuals and businesses – are at a serious disadvantage because the nation is way behind the times in the provision of affordable and sufficient bandwidth in using computers and, especially, mobile devices. We are being outstripped and rendered pathetically out of date by other countries. This is drastically holding back Guyana. It is a particular frustration to young people. For God’s sake – powers that be (Minister Cathy Hughes?), please do something about this urgently.
Thought. Our national statistics are seriously deficient. What, for instance, is our unemployment figure? Where are the detailed results of the last census? Surely we can do something urgently about this. We badly need to hold our heads higher in regional and international bodies when it comes to defining statistically where and what we are.
“Therefore we must think.” But, of course, not only that. Act too. After all, Rutherford not only thought about splitting the atom – he actually split it.
