President Santokhi - pearls of oil wisdoms

President Santokhi – pearls of oil wisdoms

Aug 18, 2020 Editorial

President Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname hit the nail on the head during a recent press session. “The sustainable development should come from the private sector, from the small and medium enterprises”. Those words of wisdom from Mr. Santokhi were uttered in the presence of Guyana’s President Dr. Ali, who was also in attendance.
It is our hope that President Ali was listening, and that he will implement what his Surinamese counterpart termed must be the “sustainable backbone” of our economy, through “inviting” those same “small and medium private sector enterprises” to play a pivotal role in rising from a Third World economic state to nearer to that of the highly developed First World. Those small and medium enterprises either are present in both countries or are sure to mushroom and fill many sectoral voids in the days ahead.
According to Mr. Santokhi, the big multinational corporations have their roles, and they must be recognized as having what is beyond the range of local skills and expertise. But the focuses, invitations, and incentives must be directed at local content businesses, which will form the nucleus of local drives that reap local success in the expanding oil industries of Guyana and Suriname. The onus is on the Guyana government to clear the way of obstacles and facilitate a foothold for Guyanese small and medium sized businesses to function and flourish. It is encouraging that the current government has reached out to “Trinidadian local content consultant, Anthony Paul,” whose recommendations, along with the ideas of others, were ignored by the previous government (Govt. uncomfortable with unfair aspects of Exxon deal, KN August 15). The reaching out to Anthony Paul is another positive step taken, in efforts to optimize benefits for Guyanese from our oil wealth. And as another signal of warmth, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Guyana Manufacturers’ and Service Association have shared that “they are pleased with the Government’s decision to pursue local content legislation” (Businesses welcome Govt.’s local content plans, KN August 16).
With a heavy emphasis on recruiting and partnering with local presences, the Ali Administration must hold open the door to Guyanese companies to be visibly involved in the huge array of downstream and upstream associated commerce that springs up in the wake of intensified production at the wells and pumps. The call from us is for local content to be very powerfully involved through opportunity given to operate. The government must challenge it to demonstrate the initiative and energy, and the creativity and versatility to take a fuller share of our oil patrimony.
We urge President Ali to push them through inspirational leadership. This commences with the kind of training that is necessary to make them significant performers in our oil sector, which is poised to take off, and of which there is a limitless horizon for them to excel. The country can then sit back and rake in the handsome returns. There would be profits and taxes, and there would be employment and earning and spending, which could lead to measurable increases in Guyana’s standard of living, and in such other areas, as Human Development Indices. This is where the action is; and President Ali knows what is expected of him, what he promised in his inauguration address, and what he must deliver.
It is worth repeating at this point what his Surinamese counterpart placed on the table before the public. We must create the environment that enables and empowers the presence of small and medium size enterprises from the local private sector. There must be vision and thrust, with the objective being the involvement and meaningful participation of as many Guyanese persons and entities, which are willing to seize the moment and do their part in the developing and prospering of Guyana.
The questions that we table are: was Guyana’s President Ali listening closely and was he properly moved? Will he do comprehensively what President Santokhi recommended? We insist that he does so soon. Remember: small and medium enterprises from the local private sector. They have their roles to play. But they can only do so, if the government opens the door and clears the way of the obstacles that limit their presences.

Latest News

President Santokhi – pearls of oil wisdoms

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Berbice ease past Demerara in low-scoring match

Upper Demerara suffer 8 wicket loss as Lakeram...

Joshi is the new National 2025 Women’s Chess...

Kares Engineering renews title sponsorship of One...

Harpy Eagles looking to put old rivals to bed,...

Windsor Estates reigns supreme at AmCham Golf...

Features/Columnists

Does the PNCR really want to go down this road?

The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation

Police violence – life is cheap in Linden

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

President Santokhi – pearls of oil wisdoms

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]