The talk is about oil and the Haitians

Aug 04, 2019 Features / Columnists, My Column

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In recent times attention has been divided on the happenings in the oil industry and on the impending elections. An immigration issue is impacting the conversation about the elections.
A report that Haitians are coming to Guyana in large numbers has fuelled the conversation that the government is bringing the Haitians to pad the voters’ list. Indeed the records show that the Haitians are coming in large numbers, but so too are the Cubans.
The difference is that more of the Cubans are returning. The conclusion is that they come either to shop or to uplift visas from the United States embassy.
The Haitians are coming on return tickets, but there is no evidence that they are leaving. The conclusion arrived at by the armchair politicians is that the Cubans are in Guyana, particularly in the city. However, such numbers cannot hide in the city, simply because of the language difference.
If the Haitians are English-speaking, then there would be the accent that would differentiate them from Guyanese. I have not encountered any Haitian in the city, and many people would make the same comment.
Then there is the puzzle of a people leaving their country simply to vote in a Guyana election. For starters, this is a costly exercise, unless the Guyana Government is spending a lot of money to bring in these people, and more money to accommodate them.
What the news reports have sparked are comments about racism. I try to avoid comments about racism, since it is viewed in some quarters that my comments reflect the views of the newspaper. I do not understand that determination, especially when I support my arguments by facts.
Perhaps I am not supposed to make my views public. Perhaps I should not hold any political views. Having said that, though, I must say that some make the point that people of every race group come to Guyana for a variety of reasons.
We have the Chinese coming in large numbers and not leaving. But the people of Guyana do not see the Chinese having an impact on the elections, since they are believed to remain neutral.
I remember when large numbers of Indians came to Guyana for the construction of the National Stadium at Providence. Again, there was talk that the then government was bringing Indians to pad the voters’ list. That was not the case.
We know that the Haitians are a migratory people, largely because of their desire to escape the harsh conditions in their country. Scarcely a day goes by without reports of Haitians trying to enter the United States via Miami using some dangerous methods.
The truth which has been acknowledged by many is that the Haitians are using Guyana as a springboard to neighbouring countries. And there is evidence.
For example, they have been spotted crossing into Suriname, and in Lethem. Observers see them walking across into Brazil at nights, checking with the federal authorities there.
The fact that Guyana is being touted as an oil-producing nation would attract immigrants. Guyanese themselves know that they have left this country in droves for the United States and Canada in search of a better life. Many went to Trinidad and not a few went to Venezuela. As a matter of fact, many of those who lived in Venezuela are coming home. There was a claim that Venezuelans were being registered. It turned out that while the people may have sounded like Venezuelans, they were Guyanese.
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil has increased its determination of Guyana’s oil reserves. At one time, Guyana’s reserves in the Stabroek block were put at five billion barrels. Now that estimate has gone up to six billion barrels.
At the same time ExxonMobil is making money even before it brings up its first barrel. It reported that for the second quarter it earned US$3.1 billion. That has put Guyana in the position of holding some lottery numbers which it played repeatedly but failed to win the jackpot.
It gave those numbers to ExxonMobil and that company won the bonanza. Guyana is getting some money from all that is going on but nothing close to what is being harvested by the investors. And this is getting some locals annoyed.
The truth is that when Exxon came others were leaving. They were convinced that Guyana was barren. Shell, one of the companies that was here, actually sold its share in the Stabroek block for one dollar. I can imagine the fallout. People were sacked for throwing away a goldmine.
At the same time the locals are cashing in. House prices are going through the roof because the oil people want homes. They are going to be here for the long haul.
Waterfront properties are being sold or rented for a fortune. People are getting richer. From my vantage point I also see some of that money trickling into the economy. Roads are being built and others have been upgraded.
The road upgrades had already begun, but information from the Guyana Revenue Authority is reporting increased revenue collection with a large portion coming from the oil sector. I can understand that there would be less borrowing to undertake infrastructure development.
But this is not to say that the oil money has fuelled the infrastructure development.
Oil training classes are being opened and students are joining. The students could be among the money earners in the not too distance future. Yet the education system is not producing enough academics to take advantage of the situation.
These classes were initiated by private people. Ramps, a Trinidad company, was among the first. Only recently Exxon began to fund some training, largely on-the-job training.
The Haitians are not known to be qualified in oil and gas, so those who are coming are not expected to grab jobs in the oil sector unless those are the lower paying jobs.
So the conversation in the coming days will be focused on the oil sector and the Haitians coming to Guyana and disappearing.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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