Is Venezuela a harbinger of things to come for Guyana?

May 03, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

This question has been haunting me for quite some time as I take note of the social and political unrest plaguing our neighbour to the West and the forces at play to install the chosen one as head of the government. No doubt I, like most concerned Guyanese, would never want to see what is playing out in that country become our experience. This is from someone who knows first-hand the kind of devastation that kind of upheaval brings with it, having had my home bombed in 1963 and being only seconds from literally being blown to bits.
All of the pieces are on the table for our beloved country to fall prey to the crows just waiting to pick over our bones. So-called leaders, dedicated to exploiting our ethnic divide in order to grasp power for their own selfish ambitions and the all-important personal gains for close friends and family.
All of Guyana knows who “they” are, just willing to sacrifice our country on the high altar of corruption and greed. It is at this juncture that the stakes may well be way above our heads, and the lessons of Venezuela must not be discounted as our possible future.
All Guyana awaits the coming oil boom which is seen as a blessing. I beg to respectfully disagree and view the coming oil as a curse. Why do I expound such a view? One word… America. If we fail to make the connection, then the Venezuelan experience can very well be in our future, as corrupt Exxon carries out the dictates of the American administration under their amoral leader Trump, who is quick to point fingers at the Muslim Terrorists but describes those white, home-grown versions as ” Good People”.
Those good people are responsible for the majority of violent domestic terrorist acts in America, meanwhile Trump has disbanded the Domestic Terror Unit of the Department of Homeland Security, whose job, among others, was to monitor those home-grown terrorists.
This same person appointed Rex Tillerson, former Chairman and CEO of Exxon, as Secretary of State for a year. He cut him loose after describing Tillerson as “Dumb as a Rock and Lazy as Hell” – The black pot calling a black pot black.
The fact is, however, Trump thought it important enough to appoint a former chairman of Exxon as Secretary of State. Wonder about that connection and the fact that Venezuela is oil-rich and the US is energy-starved. Not too much of a stretch to see why the so-called defender of America’s democracy, would support an unelected politician as a head of government. These are the same hypocrites who would jump into a country to support democracy.
Not that Maduro is a saint, on the contrary, he is an autocratic tyrant, but what about this democracy thing America is always mouthing off about. Trump is addressing Juan Guaido’s wife as “First Lady”, would this be tolerated in America, even as incompetent as Trump is?
That is the scenario Guyana faces with the coming of oil, coupled with unprepared leaders on the one hand and greedy, corrupt ones on the other. Our only hope is to walk away from our present political path, ethnic exploitation, and seriously form a government of National Reconstruction reflecting all of the ethnic groups in our country. Our racial divide will only be exploited by the pernicious. Doubt this? Ask those Rusal workers.
One Nation, One Guyana, One Destiny!
Respectfully
Claudeston Massiah

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News