Dear Editor,
We know what the PNC political party unleashed for decades: violence and queueing for basic food items and other necessities. Guyanese left in droves and many abandoned their homes. All my sisters migrated and the eldest remembers witnessing the violence of the 1962-1964 strikes and riots when the two major races were fighting each other. She is now in her 70s and remains traumatized by the event. Many in the diaspora remain patriotic but have no inclination to return, knowing the decay of the environment and the overall lawlessness and crime.
It is mainly our politicians mentioning or perpetuating racial disharmony. I have always enjoyed harmonious relationships with all six races of Guyana and racism and discrimination was non-existent among my peers while I was attending primary, secondary and tertiary institutions here. Our society is almost halved between two races and we cannot allow ourselves to become immersed in racial tensions for political gain or otherwise. We should do all within our power to never return to the violence of that period in the 1960s.
The opportunity has now presented itself through our new found wealth to correct these ills. We see the wealthy getting wealthier and their buildings adding a sense of opulence to the country and the gap between the rich and the poor widening. This is the moment to, at the least, raise each Guyanese out of poverty.
Guyana needs to use its oil revenues efficiently. Many oil producing countries have failed and are failing to use their oil revenues to provide a better quality of life for their citizens. “The curse of oil” should be rephrased to “The curse of oil corruption.” The failure of these countries is due to the lack of transparency, accountability and diversity. We will remember that from the outset of Guyana’s contract with Exxon Mobil, the details were kept shrouded in secrecy and not released to the public until more than two years after the first discovery of oil.
The solution to combat criminal activity in the oil industry is the release of equal funds to each citizen in what has come to be known as a Basic Universal Income (BUI) – Direct Dividend Payments. This income would be taxable. The taxes along with the oil revenues could then be channeled towards infrastructural works and social services. However, the oil revenues for the government would have to be overseen by experts of moral rectitude and disclosed publicly. Citizens would be motivated to surveil the use of this money due to the taxes they are forced to pay. These taxes along with the oil revenues could be used to provide methods to curb our excessive rates of domestic and social violence, suicides, alcohol consumption resulting in murders and vehicular homicides, rapes, homelessness, prosecutorial and penal inefficiencies, misogyny, maternal deaths, garbage buildup, littering, low pensions and public sector salaries, poor healthcare, noise nuisances and any other ills affecting our society. We are not seeing improvement in any of these areas. Some oil rich countries are doing amazing things for their people and we are one of the richest per capita. Also, the price of oil per barrel is higher than normal at almost $100. The government seems reluctant to heed the advice of renowned figures, experts in their fields or others, whether at home or abroad. The BUI would enable citizens to start businesses and educate their children. The result would be efficient public spending, an improved public sector and a vibrant private sector. Our oil wealth could slow economic growth if enough emphasis is not placed on driving a productive private sector and industries. The BUI would be operated through smartcards (similar to India’s Aadhaar card) that link biometric ID with electronic cash transfers, similar to India’s Aadhaar card. We could reach out to India for their technological assistance.
Should the PPP/C be humble and accept their shortcomings, it would augur well for them in the upcoming general elections. Failure to do so provides them no guarantee of this success, quoting the philosopher Karl Marx, “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.”
People are rarely remembered or respected for their wealth or acquisitions only for what they have done for society with their access to wealth and their success in relationships. The PPP/ C and any incoming Party are uniquely positioned to amend the mistakes and callousness of their or any previous administration and to leave a grand legacy.
Sincerely,
Conrad Barrow
