Where is Guyana – CAPEX or OPEX REVOLUTION?

Mar 29, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I have lived for the past 30 years in the great USA and recognize daily that for Guyana to move forward we must have leaders who have a Capex mentality. The last 20 years of PPP domination, none existed and the same persists even in this present administration as they continually demonstrate the OPEX mentality of foregone years. CAPEX is chiefly fixed assets and OPEX is operating assets. Capex sees the long term goals and benefits and tend to plan accordingly while Opex constantly deals with managing what is old and dilapidated.
What can we point to in Guyana that we can say has permanently improved the living conditions of Guyanese? Is there a road, highway, public utility, public park, public building, bridge, train, ferry, market that has helped in the free and speedy movement of people, goods and services? Are there places in any communities for relaxation and exercise e.g. parks, beaches, boardwalks; sports e.g. stadiums, playgrounds with track and field infrastructures; educational studies e.g. libraries, zoos, aquariums.
I came to Guyana a year ago and saw beautiful houses, more downscale hotels, a cleaner Georgetown, a good boardwalk in Kingston and the advertising of a few resorts, all good expenditures but unfortunately every other thing remained the same or got worse. As expatriate Guyanese get older they may want to return to home with their hard earned foreign currency in sunny and cool Guyana to live or vacation but they may not because of its Opex mentality. What about those living in Guyana, are they not entitled to live in a modern Capex society.
A case in point; the white elephant called Durban Park. Why was it not built to accommodate the schools and those living in the area with a track for running, jogging, walking, a basketball court, a handball court, a cricket field or a soccer field, a lawn tennis court and swings and slides for children? Do they really mean to say that residents have to travel to the National Park for jogging and other physical exercise activities in Georgetown and its suburbs? And what about all the other administrative districts, can any of these be found in them.
Don’t tell me that none of our politicians and administrative leaders never visited cities, counties and residential areas in the USA, Canada, Britain, Germany or France and did no comparison with their own country’s infrastructures. They must be probably blind or stupid to not see the difference in Guyana. Instead they return to Guyana and build lavish houses and import expensive cars with no thought for water and sewage planning, child development, road maintenance/improvement‘, transportation or the free movement of goods and services. All still trek to Georgetown for goods and services that should have been had in their communities. What a waste our leaders were and are? There is still hope!
Let’s prod them into a Capex mentality with planning and implementation in every district for all the infrastructures listed above. Do we still have zoning and do zoning encompass all that I have stated above and more?
Do we have business areas and residential areas in communities or are they indistinguishable in the administrative districts? Does every administrative district have a city hall with their corresponding services for their communities or do you have to travel to Georgetown for marriage and death certificates, hospitals and other health services? Mr. Jagdeo is supposed to be an economist. He was president for many years. What Capex can he show that his administration did that has brought Guyana to the modern age? President Burnham tried but he got sidetracked with socialism that brought continuous ruin to Guyana.
Cheddi and Hoyte were not better. The current President is an historian. Did he not study the development of countries? There are no excuses Guyana’s leaders have to justify Guyana’s backwardness because most or all of them either visited or resided in developed countries and were privy to their infrastructure that dotted the landscapes. We have so many things still going for us:
(i) the only English speaking country in the whole of South America, a vacationer’s dream
(ii) rare animal species
(iii) tourist attraction – rain forest with its waterfalls
(iv) natural resources for hydro electricity
(v) resourceful educated populace
(vi) summer-like weather all year round
(vii) fruits that are not grown in developed countries.
Why don’t our leaders plan and build the infrastructures they see in the developed countries? Have they seen the roads, hospitals, houses, schools, shopping centers, parks, bus and ferry services, layout of communities, public and private high-rises, etc? Pray that they become Capexers! If not, the parking meter fiasco will just be the tip of the iceberg of Guyana’s doom to the dark ages.
John Williams

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