This is a new dispensation

Feb 12, 2012 Features / Columnists, My Column

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Last week I decided to inquire about Guyana’s quest for oil. I made a number of calls to people in the know and not unsurprisingly, they all said that I should not mention that I spoke with them. I couldn’t understand the secrecy but I had grown accustomed to such requests over the years. I had lived in a society that had allowed itself to be muzzled.
People with serious personal problems turned to the media for help but they all requested that their names be excluded from the report. Sometimes I would become agitated and ask the person whether he or she thought that others should fight the battle. Invariably they all told me that they were afraid of victimization.
For example, there was the issue of the sale of state lands to private developers who in turn would sell these lands to individuals. Winston Brassington, who was heading the process, would only say that Government does its business silently and that when everything is in place only then would it speak.
The result has been a wall of silence on the part of many public servants in the loop. In any other country the people would have been brought up-to-date on developments as they happen. I still recall the reaction to the news that Guyana had signed an agreement for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
That news came out of Jamaica and the government was not happy. The public relations person in Jamaica made it known that she would not be speaking anymore on the matter because the government was unhappy although the people in Jamaica where the company existed could not care less.
More recently, news came that former President Bharrat Jagdeo was heading to India sign a contract on behalf of Guyana. That was a secret until a Kaieteur News reporter was bold enough to ask the question of Dr Roger Luncheon. Almost immediately after, the government made the announcement.
It is this reluctance to speak on issues that led to the distrust; that caused people to see shadows at every turn. That is why people expect a new dispensation with the new political situation. But there are those who having grown accustomed to the past dispensation where the government dictated every happening, cannot now understand the actions by the political opposition.
President Donald Ramotar understands and he has said that he is prepared to work with the opposition. In the Parliament, the opposition opted to control the Parliamentary Committee of Selection. This has not gone down well with some in the government but surely, it is what the majority would expect. The majority of people voted for this.
I could not understand the criticism of the decision to refuse to accept incumbency on the part of the Speaker of the National Assembly. The people with the largest bloc of votes always elected the Speaker and that is what happened. It would seem that habits die hard.
The country’s political direction is undergoing a change and it would seem that the change is for the better. I remember the reaction of the Americans, the Canadians, the British and the Europeans. They all said that the present political situation is for the good of the country.
Some of the things that one may see should include the selection of people for foreign scholarships. The reallocation of state property would also attract the attention of all; contracts would be scrutinized; parliamentary discussions would be meaningful.
I remember the governments of the past going through the motion of debates knowing that from the start that they would win. The decks were stacked in their favour. People slept, some played computer games and others just daydreamed until the vote. The situation would be very different. People would really have to prepare their debates to convince the House.
And so we come to the distribution of state lands to private developers. The deed is done so there would be no reason to revisit. Indeed, contracts entered into by Governments are all written in stone. But there would be serious considerations of future agreements.
When the Amaila Falls hydroelectric road was considered tenders went out and the winner of the contract was a company that had never built a road anywhere. By no stretch of imagination would this situation have occurred had the opposition parties been strong as they are today. The nation lost money and the project has been set back at some cost to the taxpayer.
And so I decided to investigate the oil exploration. For years, long before I even thought of getting grey, I had heard of Guyana having oil. The argument was that if Brazil, Venezuela, and Trinidad had oil then by extension Guyana should have.
Two drills are here, each spending about $100 million a day. That is money coming to Guyana and the economy should be starting to see the light of day. There could be the likelihood of a lowering of taxes. People’s money would go some distance more than it does today.
While the government was reluctant to say too much the oil companies were talking. They were talking about the depth to which they would rill, the number of people on the rigs and the duration of their initial exploration.
I left telling myself that anyone who spends $100 million a day is certain that there is gold at the end of the exploration—black gold. The people of Guyana need to know and this new political dispensation is allowing them to know that they stand to smile down the road.
And if I am to dream, I would be dreaming of a Guyana with hydroelectricity and tons of oil. With the gold now being extracted, these two new things would actually make this country a dream location. Meanwhile, there are those who firmly believe that they have a handle on the race vote and they want to see a return to the old days. They want fresh elections.

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