Many Guyanese are in despair arising out of the current political deadlock and the failure of our politicians to resolve it. Many understand that relying only on the judiciary can only result in winners and losers. One round of the perpetual ethno-political competition would be over with the completion of the court proceedings. Whatever the outcome, the next round would come with the elections, whether held this year or next year. In this sense, the decision of the CCJ will solve nothing that is fundamental to the reality of Guyana’s existence and its challenges.
Whatever the CCJ’s decision and whenever the elections are held, Guyana’s problems will remain and would be no nearer to a solution. The economic slowdown will persist, poverty and employment will continue to increase, a high crime rate will perhaps get worse, corruption will grow by leaps and bounds and the ethno-political contest, an important driver of most of the above, will be no nearer to a solution.
Many Guyanese, at the limit of their tolerance about recent developments and persistent economic and social problems, are cynical about oil revenue and have no expectation that the oil income will benefit Guyana and certainly not the poor. They believe that much of it will be lost to corruption and whichever Government is in office will find ways of channeling the remainder into the pockets of their supporters and friends.