It is time our collective interest trumps partisanship and bruised ego

Dec 18, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

As Guyana is about to trade its portion of First Oil, another red ants’ nest is being raised as to its transparency. The fact that the Department of Energy felt the need to respond after the information was first garnered from an international media outlet also suggests that its staff felt they could have handled this roll out differently.
We should not have been in this place today, for it is not for the want of call for us to collectively work together as one to ensure Guyanese are not short changed, feel cheated or defeated.
We have not had first-hand experience in this industry, and as such, it requires all of us holding hands to get it right. But from the outset, it seems some had no intention to work towards constructive engagement. We knew more than a year ago that First Oil was expected to start in 2020, which was also the constitutionally slated period for General and Regional Elections.
A section of this society has been calling on both Government and Opposition, along with the input of civil society and other stakeholders, to establish a framework that would ensure transparency, and Guyanese getting their fair share of the pie. First Oil has been brought forward to December.
Some media houses have played a role in helping us better understand the dynamics before us. These included, but were not limited to, citing the experiences of other countries and sourcing the knowledge of others, albeit in some instances some became experts, with no active experience in the field or having paucity of same. Taken in stride, it was seen as doing the job and filling the vacuum that existed.
There remains concern that this country is being denied the needed political leadership with the involvement of both Government and Opposition. The support (tacit and overt) given to the Opposition’s contention, after the no-confidence ruling, that it will not return to work in the National Assembly, albeit still being paid to do so, will come back to haunt this nation in significant ways.
Government’s seeming acceptance of the Opposition’s refusal to carry out its constitutional duty in spite of the 12th July Consequential Orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice, as per Item 7 on the role of the National Assembly in determining a date for election, will likewise face similar consequence.
Shouting ‘get out’ and ‘government must resign’ ignored that no country can operate without government – interim, caretaker or substantive. The people’s daily welfare must be taken care of, locally and on the international stage. In the vacuum, we hear the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry has drafted legislation on Local Content.
The presumptuousness aside, the effort could be seen as seeking to move the process forward, though legislative responsibility is vested in the National Assembly and its supporting team. It comes right back to the role of our elected representatives and governing. This was lost on some of the very people who supported the advocacy for anarchy, but are now calling for decisive action on the oil and gas front.
We have spent enormous time and wasted energy solely on having an election and getting the date for it, attacking the institutions of government, ignoring and disregarding the role and ruling of the judicature as the sole arbiter of conflict between the executive and legislative. The nation became polarised not on reason, but political sentiments and alliance.
Today we are with feelings of uncertainty and flailing around, largely in part of the making of a few who have driven many down a rabbit hole for partisan gain. Again, it is not too late to let national interest prevail and for the Opposition get off its perch and work with Government for the good of this country.
At this stage of our development the industry is being controlled by foreigners and the majority of skills and expertise are so being sourced. This nation must benefit from a united position on how we manage our resources. It is time our collective interest trumps partisanship and bruised ego.
Lincoln Lewis

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