Dear Editor,
I am a simple man in its original sense but certainly not a stupid person and following this prelude I will ask the State two questions towards the end of this letter. As a prelude, Dr. Jagan talked about the need for us to take control of the “commanding heights” of the economy. With a similar and equal patriotism, Burnham asseverated the idea of ownership and control of our natural resources. In an address, one day Forbes Burnham vowed that the descendants of slaves and indentured labourers should never cede control of our God-given natural resources to neither of our erstwhile masters nor anyone else. I recalled that when prices had gone up with just about everything else, Burnham kept the price of sugar at two pounds for thirteen cents. To the young, this is not a typographical mistake, two pounds for thirteen cents. Because we felt this was some compensation to those who worked on the sugar plantations with nothing and later, little for years.
Guyana is now producing thousands and thousands of barrels of oil per day and we are now in the big league. Both the oil giants operating here and our President and Vice President Jagdeo boast that we are the fastest growing economy in the world. Globally oil, gas, gold, manganese etc. are traded either in US dollars, Pounds, Sterling, Canadian dollars or EC dollars. Therefore, why the exchange for US dollars today is two hundred and eight dollars to one? For me this is an absurdity for an oil producing country. This is the question of a simple man. Next question, OPEC was established in the 1960s for the sole purpose of oil producing nations being a bulwark, being a sentinel against the big oil giants in the world. Therefore, why Guyana has not indicated or open the question for public debate why Guyana has not considered joining OPEC? These questions, if answered will speak to the philosophical issue of whether we own oil, gas, gold, manganese, bauxite etc. and whether as predicated by those of us, who sought and fought for Independence have even a modicum of control.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
