Dear Editor,
It is traditional to use this Christmas season to offer good wishes and peace to all men. On behalf of my wife, Dr. Jennifer Basdeo, family and acquaintances, I extend to Guyanese , at home and abroad, good cheer and most of all Peace and Love as we observe the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Editor and Guyanese, I offer those wishes despite extant challenges. Thanks to sorrowful steps of sheer stupidity and a stubborn refusal to have meaningful consultation on matters of national importance by our present Administration, we are giving up a golden opportunity to take every Guyanese out of the bottomless pit of want and the opportunity of this and succeeding generations to develop each and every one of us to their fullest potential. A sad situation.
Available evidence, notwithstanding the fine speeches, suggests that our natural resources, timber, gold, manganese and oil are not being properly managed. In gold, we are allowing irreplaceable damage in our environment. A sad and sorry situation. This Christmas, let us ignore the platitudes and demand that we do such things that make optimum use of our God-given bountiful natural resources.
This season I wish the President and his Cabinet good wishes, that they recognize their duty is to serve all of Guyana and so dispense with the notion that this Christmas the big slice of the cake is for those who are harvesting our oil, gas, gold etc., and that the thin slices in the form of handouts and black-outs are all that we the people deserve.
A good Christmas gift from the President would be his announcing of his willingness to seek a re-negotiation of that lopsided 2016 oil contract. Best wishes and a Merry Christmas.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
