More Guyanese standing up, speaking out

Dec 10, 2021 Editorial

Kaieteur News – We are glad that more and more Guyanese are letting their concerns be known. This is not just among their friends and fellow community residents, but publicly and loudly. It is clear that the more information Guyanese get, the more they are ready to stand up and speak out for their rights, to express their fears, to register their objections. They don’t care if it is the powerful and vindictive state that they protest against. Citizens and residents are no longer taking things quietly and sitting down in docile acceptance.
A recent caption of ours confirms this growing trend in Guyana: “Have respect for us! Marudi residents up ante against Govt. over agreement signed with Canadian gold company” (KN November 29). An examination of the facts and circumstances, as currently known, confirms that these residents, largely of indigenous heritage, have good grounds on which to make their voices heard, and pushback through drawing a line in the sand in the face of worrying developments at the hands of a government that conceals matters of importance to their welfare from them. They are poor people, not as well exposed to the tricks and shams of government, as their more savvy and sophisticated peers in the city and rural areas. Their resources are limited, and technology is a key one now gaining something that can be called a foothold.
It is, perhaps, because of these situations that slick politicians and public servants are well aware of, that they actually execute upsetting arrangements, only for the Marudi residents to find out by what we call ‘luck and chance.’ The residents stumble upon information on social media platforms. Transparent leaders and ethical governments do not conduct the business of the people in this way, and disrespect the people they are supposed to represent. Yet, this is precisely what took place. By the time Marudi residents knew of the agreement(s) with the Canadian gold company, Guyana Gold Strike, along with Aurous Guyana Inc. to prospect for gold not too distant from their community, the government had already signed a contract with the two foreign entities.
In a hasty attempt to do some after the fact damage control, the PPP Government then called a belated meeting to do the usual airbrushing of what happened. How it could have happened like that, and why it was allowed to happen as it did? The problem was that the people of Marudi were not in a listening mood, and were not having any of the sweet official speak. It is best that we let the residents speak for themselves in their own words. “We weren’t even notified of this meeting. I was told only at a meeting the day before by the Chairman…we were not informed of this agreement, and we want to be involved in the decision making.” Further, area residents lamented the fact that in a previous visit and meeting with government officials, no such information was shared with them.
Moreover, Marudi residents were vocal about what they saw as an insult being layered upon insult. Some complained that they “did not get to speak” and “there was not enough time for them to hear us” and “we didn’t have much input in the meeting.” Others took matters a little higher, when they labelled the recent hurried Saturday visit by some Cabinet members as having one purpose in mind – to ‘brainwash’ them. Clearly, Government is not taking these residents seriously, and has already concluded that they are pushovers, who will yield ground, once they are misinformed further and misled further.
Just as clearly, the residents of Marudi are neither biting on PPP Cabinet members’ sweet talk, nor falling for the usual bag of political tricks. Some of them have already planted themselves in the space that is causing so much offense, and it looks like they are determined to be there for the long haul. Taken together, this is the way more and more Guyanese have to will themselves to be. That is, get in the face of an obstinate and secretive Government that is bent on wrongdoing and what is possibly hostile, definitely disrespectful, to the welfare of locals. Guyanese stand up, and shout out.

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