Dear Editor,
I welcomed reading Professor Winston Mc Gowan’s recently published article `Jubilee milestones: Significant developments in Guyanese history, 1966 – 2016’ in your Independence Jubilee Supple-ment on May 26th, 2016. Reading through the list of achievements one cannot help being proud of what, despite the odds, we have been able to accomplish, over the last fifty years of independence.
However, I must confess that I was a bit disappointed (though not at all surprised), that there was no mention of the “significant developments” in our institutional framework, for the application of Science and Technology, since Independence. Disappointed, in that Science and Technology should be at the very core of our efforts to transform our economy and should be insinuated into the national development psyche, at every conceivable level of decision making (the Singapore and South Korean experiences in this respect are instructive) – and regrettably is not, in any of our CARICOM countries. Not surprised, in that in Guyana, as in the rest of the Caribbean, Science and Technology is marginalised and has not been given the necessary support, to maximise its contribution to the national development effort.
That said, there are milestones which we should be proud of. Of significance, was the establishment of the National Science Research Council (NSRC), as an overarching institution, charged with the responsibility of building Guyana’s capacity to utilise Science and Technology for the country’s development. Under its umbrella, the NSRC established two critical S&T institutions – the Institute of Applied Science and Technology and the National Agricultural Research Institute. The Institute of Applied Science and Technology, has a mandate for the development of appropriate technology for the sustainable utilisation of Guyana’s resources; and the National Agricultural Research Institute of Guyana aims to integrate scientific knowledge and agricultural production to achieve optimal and sustainable use of the country’s agricultural resources. These two institutions, that have stood the test of time, are still functional and poised to contribute to Guyana’s thrust to transform its development paradigm to achieve a “green economy”.
We do have a well articulated Science and Technology policy which in its final entry states that, “In a developing country like Guyana, attempts to change and modernise traditional systems can be a difficult task. This can be due to limited understanding of what is being proposed and the consequential socio-economic impact that would accrue as a result of these changes. Scientific and technological inputs into the development strategy can be regarded as an area where this resistance to change may be encountered. It is however essential that the implications and resulting benefits for scientific and technological inputs be clearly defined, understood and accepted at the highest possible decision making forum in the country. In addition, science and technology encompass all facets of daily life and therefore must be represented appropriately. The Government will therefore ensure that Science and Technology will be the responsibility of a member of the Government’s Cabinet.”
As we move forward to meet the development challenges of the next fifty years, it is incumbent, not only on a “member of the Government’s cabinet” but on all Guyanese, to ensure that our Science and Technology policy informs our transformation and that more than lip service is paid, to fully embracing the concept of Science and Technology for Development.
Yours faithfully,
Ulric O’D Trotz,
Science Adviser & Deputy
Director,
Caribbean Community Climate
Change Centre.
Belize