Dear Editor,
The Guyana daily (SN, May 24, 2021) reported on two “gifts”, one to UG for a lab from Halliburton, the other an “offering [of] oil & gas services” by a Danish (BWS) company. It was also reported previously that “gifts” were provided to Iwokrama and Amazon Warriors by Exxon. In political circles around the world, this kind of manifestation is a benign acceptable practice, but insidiously and pervasively corrupt. I speak of political contributions, donations and gifts, which are not usually questioned. But the obvious is that the donors/contributors expect favors in return, which may be jobs for family and friends, big contracts, and, as a bonus, rubbing shoulders with the elitist upper crust ruling class. Does it smell like corruption?
In the mundane realm, there are many examples where the donor/ donee relationship is skewed awkwardly; yet both sides make-believe innocuously. In the U.S., a well-known TV station that is recognized for its valuable documentaries, including Nature, takes donation from a powerful rich entity that is antithetical to environmental causes. The opioid pharma exposé showed, inter alia, contributions to Museums; the payback to have their names boldly displayed to the public, hopefully for posterity. A major business that sells and promotes a popular (but dangerous carcinogenic) weedicide donated to a hospital that subsequently used the owner’s moniker on the hospital.
Halliburton is a huge multinational company. It “offers” a variety of field services to oil companies. It was prominent in Iraq war doing major infrastructural ‘reconstruction’. It goes wherever there is big money. It is the business of Hallibur-ton to engage in big business for big money, which is good for Hallibur-ton. The donor/donee relationships denoted above must however be measured in accord with other societal variables. Are the donors altruistic or mercenary? Is the modus operandi Stygian Sop to Cerberus? Like-wise, are the recipients not aware of the ulterior workings of contributors, or are they driven by lust and greed – just for the money? Gift giving is normal in society generally. In Guyana, the man-in-the-street can be heard asking for ‘a raise, a small piece, loose change, lunch money’ or solicit to ‘lef somethin’. This is perceived as harmless solicitation. He smiles as he walks away with the gratuitous pittance. But when such practice is practiced by some aforementioned entities, it usually smells – like ‘smell a rat’.
It has been said ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’. In my view, there should be a proviso depending on the kind of gift and what part of the horse. I recall the idiomatic expression: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” It is self-evident that those at UG (and there are many), and Iwokrama are highly educated. Iwokrama has implicitly assumed custodianship of the pristine forests of Guyana. They must know; they must be reading; otherwise they may be deemed as “mentally lazy”, using an apt description (that was unfortunately wrongly ascribed to one group, rather than generally, by a tantalizing beautiful and smart person). Simply put by Mark Twain, “The man [or woman] who does not read has no advantage over the man [or woman] who cannot read.” Informa-tion is abundant on the public domain with regards to climate change, environmental sustainability, and the detrimental consequence of fossil fuel as it relates to elevated CO2 globally.
It is a question of making the right choice and not being cynosures. I find it difficult and puzzling to reconcile the available pertinent public information with inaction and/or denial of the scientific facts. The aphoristic lines of Sir Walter Scott: “Oh what a tangled web we weave/ When first we practice to deceive,” is hermeneutic. Judeo-Christian normative informs Western value system to have “dominion” over the earth, unlike oriental and native ethics that humankind is part of the earth. We need to re-think our values of insatiably wanting more and more, and to become stewards of One Earth Charter. To be clear, no amount of chameleonic contortion can dispel the reality and impact of climate change and climate justice. I like to end with the prescient words of Malcolm X: “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” And discerning words of Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Sincerely,
Gary Girdhari
