Dear Editor,
I am all for loyalty to a particular race of people or a particular party, but loyalty to Our Nation is of more importance when the decisions we make will affect us all. We have been blessed with a healthy environment, healthy food and healthy water. All of which has given us long and enjoyable lives. Just look at how many people live over 100 years in our small country of less than a million. Health is always more important than wealth. It is imperative that we keep this in mind as we develop our nation. Avoiding harmful chemicals such as those that will be produced in the unprofitable gas to shore project, and avoiding the pollution that comes from the oil sector, gold mining and manganese mining must remain top of mind. In addition, the destruction that we have experienced as a nation due to intensified rainfall and flooding has not been seriously addressed. Yet, we are building roads for expensive cars, hospitals for tourists, expensive houses that will economically enslave the populace, and expensive schools at the neglect of those that are already in place. The best schools in the nation have yet to be equipped with sprinkler systems, but new and more expensive schools are being constructed.
The construction industry is one of the most corrupt industries across the majority of countries in the world. Is Guyana different? Cries of corruption and greed are increasing, and many can see who has been over fed on our nation’s wealth. Neglect for the safety of our citizens continues to increase with uncontrollable crime and less people ensuring that we each do our part in keeping the young and the old safe in their homes, schools and on the roads. There was a time when a motorist cared for the safety of a pedestrian and those on a bicycle. Today, they are dragging people through the streets and running over their heads in a rush to go nowhere and make a fleeting dollar, and if the police try to take control they get a beating. It is said that a people get the leader they deserve. We must first think about what we need and not about what we want.
Development is a good thing when done properly, but what we are witnessing is extensive waste and increasing expansion without first fixing what is already in place. Risk taking is also increasing, and fixing of the basics to ensure we are all safely improving our living standards has been bypassed in order to add upon a deteriorating foundation. What good is an oil contract if it doesn’t benefit the country and if it can bankrupt it? What good is filtered water in a rusty water system? Placing the cart before the horse continues to be the order of the day. Housing developments without a proper sewage system is a development that hasn’t been thought out properly. Georgetown is in need of a new water and sewage system, and the same can be said for all of the towns across the country. Not too long ago there was sewage in the water in Timehri. What good is filtered water if the pipe allows sewage to contaminate it after it has been filtered? The current planning is upside down and those we have entrusted are showing their lack of experience.
However, the most important problem faced by the majority of our citizens continues to be neglected while we spend an ever increasing amount of money on vanity projects. Nowhere in the world where corruption has been minimized would you find an airport construction project that never ends. We must remember and not forget how easily our country fell from one of the richest and most educated to one of the most impoverished. This was when people referred to L.F.S. Burnham as one of the richest men in the world. This was also when our citizens lined up to buy bread. We know what corruption looks like and feels like. This lesson should be a guide that makes us more conservative and cautious in our undertakings, but unfortunately it hasn’t.
A PhD is only useful to those who wish to pursue a life in academia and research. Good and practical management of our country must be placed in the hands of those who have hands on experience ethically managing and leading. What is being witnessed today is the contrary. Spending to buy votes, and lack of regard for the health and financial independence of our citizens is becoming more evident as the current plan for development continues to unfold. A big house and little land will have our citizens being bystanders as we pursue food security. I guess working on the government’s farm is the preferred option, especially given that the oil industry will be around for only approximately 20 years. Just enough time to pay off the new house. A new generation of estate workers? Guyana has too much land and too small of a population for this to be the best path for our development. We must do better, our people deserve better!
This week California experienced its first ever tropical storm. A year’s worth of rainfall fell in one day in some areas. We cannot continue to pursue the current development plan for our nation without first and foremost addressing the risk of flooding. No other undertaking is more important than our sea defense and drainage. We are building and upgrading roads that can easily be washed away in a major flood. We are building hospitals and major infrastructure that lay in a flood zone. We are building up new industries (an oil refinery and petrochemical plant), which we do not need that will poison the soil and deteriorate the quality of the air we breathe. Pursuing the development pattern of the old first world countries who have serious debt and health care problems, is not the path that we should follow. Ours should be more in tune with the current situation and future needs we face in this changing world.
Sorry, but CRG cannot in good conscience support the current development agenda and the poor priority setting that is taking place. Greed has taken root and we must uproot it before it destroys the health of our people, and our environment. Our surroundings have blessed our citizens with long lives, we should do our best to enhance it and not destroy it. Health is more valuable than wealth and contentment will always bring more happiness than greed.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of
Guyana
