In 2023 the shortcomings of our past continue to contribute to the pain of our present. Have we really made progress since the presidents of our past transitioned? One would imagine that by now the basic needs for life’s comforts would be adequately met. Today should be a day when we sit and reflect on the dark times in Guyana and be contented that we would have overcome. It is not unreasonable to expect that by now blackouts should be a thing of the past. But look at us. In this time of technological advancements, in this time of oil wealth, in this time of the fastest growing economy, in this time when we are talking about development, in this time of two Guyanas, the Guyana where most of us live with the hardships and harshness of a society in shambles, Guyana Power and Light continues to fail us. While the heat humbles us, hours and days of blackout are occurring around the country.
I watched people in Bartica dumping meat and other perishables they could no longer sell after being plagued with days of blackout. In a season of hardships avoidable losses add to the tension. We do not care about the Guyana Power and Light’s excuses. The tales of rats biting wires and rain knocking out the power and vehicles crashing into poles have been enough insults to our intelligence. Let us call it what it is. Incompetence. Mismanagement. Square pegs in round holes. It does not seem to be a priority of those in charge to permanently end this thing known as blackout. Are these signs of progress?
There was another fire this week. Fires, blackout, it never stops. Some believe that there is something sinister with all these fires that have occurred within the last few years. We have seen the burning of a police station, of schools, a dorm, of businesses, of markets and private property and too often the loss of life. The fire in Mahdia that took the lives of twenty of our children and injured others will continue to haunt us.
Charlestown was the place where fire gutted a three-storey wooden building this week that left several people homeless. The Guyana Fire Service was on the ground. With holes in the hose like someone’s personal sprinkler to keep their lawn looking lovely, we continue to watch incompetence in amusement and astonishment. Buildings are often left to burn because the Guyana Fire Service are too long to respond, do not have water when they arrive at the location of the fire and now there are even holes in the hoses.
How many ways can we spell incompetence in this country? How much more can we take? Why are we so accepting of the mediocre standards we have set for ourselves? In some instances, we have put mediocre people in positions of power, we accept mediocre services and a mediocre way of life, are these signs of progress?
While we grapple with blackouts and fires however, there are still bright spots that give us hope. With the heatwave we are battling coconut water is a beverage that not only quenches our thirst but can also calm our angst and remind us of nature’s blessings in this part of the world. Early this week as I passed the area in Orange Walk where coconut vendors sell, it was strange that all the coconut stands were closed. Those of us who are regular consumers of coconut water have seen how the prices have increased within the last two years. Less than two years ago a large bottle of coconut water was a thousand dollars ($1000). Within a year the price went to eleven hundred ($1100), to twelve hundred ($1200), to thirteen hundred ($1300), to fourteen hundred ($1400) to now fifteen hundred ($1500) a bottle. A single coconut which used to be less than two hundred dollars at one point is now three hundred dollars.
I returned about two days later to Orange Walk to chat with a coconut vendor about why all the stands were closed and most are still closed. He told me that there is a shortage of coconuts and that those who supply the vendors with coconuts continue to raise their prices. It seems like every time boatloads of coconuts come from the Pomeroon, the suppliers are finding new ways to abundance by increasing their prices. Are these not the effects of oil wealth? Like tomatoes selling for as much as twelve hundred dollars a pound? What nightmare is this that the average Guyanese is experiencing where the wealth is running away from them? However, for a small, privileged group it is progress in Guyana. Here where those with friends and associates in positions of power can have billion-dollar contracts for jobs for which they are inexperienced. What has oil wealth brought to the average Guyanese, but a faster road to impoverishment? While ExxonMobil can have a bill of US214 million reduced to US3 million, whose interests are first here? Where are the protests? How can a few voices change our story when the majority do nothing?
Who is to be held accountable? The average Guyanese’s hope to have a living wage is simply a dream that may never come through because those who are in charge do not care. We do not have to click our heels and repeat to realize that they really do not care. We have seen who really matters in this country. When the colonizers’ shadows have been cast over your country and a few are reaping the benefits of what it is, are these signs of progress?
Often when I take a walk around the city, I see homeless young women aimlessly walking or sitting somewhere daydreaming. They catch my attention because they are women like me, and I always wonder about their story. This week it was no different. I saw a young lady sitting alone, chatting, and laughing. She would speak to her imaginary friend or friends then laugh like she knows nothing about blackouts, the fires, or the cost of coconuts. One would think that she had found the key to happiness and that all was well in her life. As I walked away from her, I thought with everything that is happening in our country it is amazing that more of our citizens have not divorced themselves from reality and connected with their imaginary friends to laugh their sorrows away.
