Dubai is one of the wealthiest places in the world and since oil was found in Guyana there are those who have been referring to Guyana as Lil Dubai. Perhaps thinking that because Guyana is so blessed with oil, that we too will become a nation that can flaunt its wealth like Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Thursday morning in Lil Dubai the water was trickling again. How long will it take for oil wealth to fix our water woes since it is supposed to fix everything? Maybe I am becoming a part of the deluded with a hope and a prayer that oil and gas will fix everything, that the excess flaring will not have any negative effects on the environment and that Guyana will not be in a worse state of poverty when the oil wells deplete.
As I stood by the sink and the water continued to trickle, I felt like a dark cloud was hovering but perhaps it was the lingering discomfort caused by the two blackouts the day before. Soaked in sweat because the breeze was not flowing like hope through the concrete and wooden buildings, I thought that maybe this year blackouts will end. Not only because oil will fix it, but next year we have elections! What else are we to do when hope is lost but begin hoping again? As I fanned my three-month-old niece who was starting to fret from being hot and uncomfortable because of the heat and blackout, I thought Lil Dubai does not even spare the babies and children.
Later, on Thursday during a drive round the city of Lil Dubai I observed the various gatherings of garbage. Garbage is like a tourist attraction in Lil Dubai. From garden city decades ago to garbage city now. It sits there undisturbed in some places for what may be weeks and months, like the garbage truck never passes. The stench, the flies, the rodents, and the maggots are just a part of the culture of a city neglected. But we love it here in Lil Dubai! A few days ago, as I sat to catch up on the news, I was of course disturbed by the number of fires we have seen since the start of the year. Almost every day since the year started there have been one or two fires in various parts of the country. Perhaps Guyanese need more knowledge on fire prevention; perhaps the Guyana Fire Service needs to put some resources into a country-wide campaign to educate the public.
But of course, there are those who believe that the increasing number of fires are a result of something sinister. Some of the people think great evil hangs over Lil Dubai. Some of the people think that the country needs prayers and fasting to fight against the evil they believe is hindering us. These are symptoms of living in Lil Dubai. We are often not brave enough to tackle the root of our problems as a collective but instead, speculate and wait on saviours.
A few days ago, I was on social media and saw a disturbing video made by a former minister which seems to have since been deleted. The man was threatening that if anyone attacked his political party he was going to go after them until they are destroyed. I guess some political parties are exempt from criticism in this democracy. But even children are not safe in Lil Dubai where paedophiles of all shades and sizes walk freely with their enablers cheering them on.
What was even more disturbing about that video is that there were comments made by some of the sheeple of 592 being grateful for the threats and praising their god. I closed the video and sighed because guess what? The depravity, the stupidity, the threats to safety, the attempts to silence people; the human rights violations in Lil Dubai, do not surprise me anymore. This is not a healthy nation. And speaking about health, in Lil Dubai we see that nurses have been leaving for places like the United Kingdom and the United States. I am not mad at them for this. They are leaving for better living conditions. Like the basics – water flowing through the taps 24/7 at a good pressure, 24-hour electricity, where in most places in these countries’ garbage will not lay around in public for weeks and months. And of course, the nurses are leaving to earn more.
What is telling about our nurses leaving however is that foreign nurses from places like Cuba are coming to replace them and I have heard reports that some of these nurses cannot speak English fluently. Not only that, but they are also being paid more than the Guyanese nurses. To keep from crying one sometimes must laugh out loud in Lil Dubai. So, as the people would say, you mean to tell me that instead of raising our Guyanese nurses’ salaries to encourage them to stay, we will bring foreign nurses, pay them more and watch the flights continue to depart from Cheddi Jagan International Airport?
When we cannot make things make sense in Lil Dubai, we must remind ourselves that these are just symptoms of living in one of the fastest growing economies. Our government has shown what they think about our local nurses. But it is not just nurses, but most public servants. Last month the people quietly collected their 6.5 percent and $25000 cash grant and had a merry and a miserable Christmas. But a miracle before the elections of 2025 might be that public servants will see a 100% increase on their salaries. Afterall, with oil money, all things are possible!
In Lil Dubai, many are asking, with the accusations of corruption in the government, the increasing cost of living and other discomforts that make the lives of the average people difficult, where is the strong voice of the opposition? Why are the opposition parties so silent? There are influencers on social media who seem to be putting in more work than the opposition to challenge the government and highlight corrupt practices. Influencers who have been threatened to have their human rights violated even though some of them sit in foreign countries. Perhaps most of the opposition are afraid of people like the former minister with his threats. Or perhaps they too have skeletons in their closets that they do not want exposed. With elections next year, are we doomed in Lil Dubai?
Things seem to worsen by the day but of course not for the fat cats of Guyana. Blackouts and water woes do not affect them I would imagine. Driving around in heavily tinted vehicles they do not see the filth. But the average Guyanese must be strong. We are accustomed to and many support the mediocre. In a country mismanaged for decades, underdeveloped, and corrupted, these are symptoms of living in Lil Dubai.
