Dear Editor,
There has been a national call to raise our voices against the sinking boat in which we find ourselves today with Venezuela.
Twenty-three years ago, I warned that Guyana is like a boat with half the rowers rowing north and the other half rowing south. The Bible tells us that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And since independence this country has been a disaster as an independent nation. The value of our currency alone tells the story, it’s the lowest in the English-speaking Caribbean most of which got independence in the 60’s. And there are more Guyanese living abroad than living here.
Also 23 years ago I said that we are missing the boat by not being the economic partner with Brazil. Since clearly there was some impediment which is seen as a disincentive to being Brazil’s partners in hydropower, a road from Brazil to the Atlantic in Georgetown or preferably Parika. I would love to know what it is. I have written and commented on this so many times that any person who has been following my comments would clearly remember.
But now the consequences of not doing the obvious has put us all in danger. If Brazil was our partner in hydropower and the road from Lethem to our coast and a deep-water harbour had been built, there would be no Venezuelan claim against us today! They would not dare!
Let’s again examine why we are so important to Brazil. That huge country which has a GDP of US1.9 trillion dollars per annum and is the 9th biggest economy on this planet, in addition, and very importantly, its military is the 12th biggest of all countries on earth, Venezuela is number 52. Brazil’s military spending per year is over US$20 billion Venezuela is about US$ one billion. Brazil has 216 million people, the 7th largest population of all countries, Venezuela has 24 million people most of who are fleeing the economic disaster Maduro has visited on that unfortunate country.
So our mighty neighbour, Brazil, with the biggest economy, population and military in this hemisphere has been begging us to be their partners for decades, because they need us, and here is why.
The state of Roraima which borders Guyana to the south and east, consists of 86,602 square miles but is inhabited by only 634,000 people mostly located in Bon Fin and Boa Vista; well-known names to most Guyanese, these two towns are in the state of Roraima. To the south of Roraima is the state of Amazonas in which Manaus is located, it is the biggest of all Brazilian states, with about 602,000 square miles and approximately only 3.4 million people most of who are in Manaus.
Editor, the two states Roraima and Amazonas total approximately 721,410 square miles, have little or no development, and only around 4 million people living in a land area which only 38 countries on earth are bigger than.
Why? because they are landlocked and have no infrastructure to get to the ocean, so in the case of Manaus, for example, where more than half of the 4 million people occupying that 721,000 square miles, which is approximately the same distance from Lethem as Lethem is from Georgetown, live everything which goes to Manaus: fuel, food, equipment, production etc. has to travel about 900 miles up the Amazon River which takes a week before it gets to the Atlantic. So they, apparently expecting that we are right-thinking people, willing to be partners in the mutual development of both countries, built a road from Manaus to Lethem and a bridge over the Takutu River separating Lethem from Brazil! That road and bridge was opened on 14 September 2009, in the presence of leaders of both countries.
Why did it go no further? The end result is that Guyana apparently betrayed the Brazilians and did not let them proceed further. I wonder why? Well suppose we were the partners of Brazil in the building of a road, a deep-water harbour and 1500 MW hydro-power station mostly in the Essequibo County? You believe that the Guyana government would want to share that kind of oversight by Brazil necessary in the execution of those projects, which they could legitimately demand since it’s their investment? Is it acceptable that we have put ourselves in this situation today, despite the massive benefits this wonderful alliance with Brazil could have given to Guyana?
So, now, since 2009, 14 years Editor, we don’t have this mighty strategic partner, who was begging us to help them, which is incredible since they are the most powerful military and economic force in this entire hemisphere, in the development of the Essequibo which would have made Venezuela far more aware of the dangers of planning to invade us and in so doing destroy Brazilian assets invested in Guyana? Can anyone, even me, imagine what Brazil would do with a US$1.9 trillion GDP to develop those two states? Imagine the tolls we would get from the road and the deep-water harbour, the income we would get for supplying electricity to those two massive states? Anyone knows how much money the Canadians make supplying electricity to the entire eastern seaboard of the USA? These incomes will not be like oil which can run out some time, it’s permanent.
So now because of this lack of vision, procrastination, betrayal etc., we appear to be entering a period of consequences with Venezuela.
Have we even now, invited these people here to sign up the necessary MOUs to establish serious income generating business for Guyana and Brazil and so guarantee protection from the biggest expansionist country in this hemisphere?
Blind people make very poor visionaries.
Yours faithfully,
Tony Vieira
