Getting the most from our resources must trump differences between Govt., Opposition

Sep 24, 2022 News

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…it is just as critical as being united on challenges to our sovereignty – APNU+AFC’s Amanza Walton-Desir 

By Kiana Wilburg

Kaieteur News – APNU+AFC Parliamentarian and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amanza Walton-Desir holds the view that getting the most value from the extractive sector is an exercise that must trump all differences between Government and the political Opposition. For her, having a united front on the management of the nation’s resources, is just as critical as the alliance needed when confronted with challenges to the nation’s sovereignty.

This was the overarching view of the Politician during her first appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, ‘Guyana’s Oil and You.’ There, she shared her perspectives on the importance of the Government and Opposition working together to get maximum value for current and future generations.

The Parliamentarian said, “Once you take a decision that you are going to exploit your natural resources, the issue then becomes how do you do that? You do it with sensitivity to the environment…You have to pay attention to what can eventuate from the exploitation of these resources.”

“You have to ensure that your systems and your institutional structures are set up. Now let’s be frank, Exxon is a multi-billion corporation. They have a fiduciary duty to whom? Their shareholders; they have to ensure the long-term profitability of their company for their shareholders.”

The Politician said the same principle applies to the Guyana Government. She opined that the administration has a fiduciary duty to the people of Guyana to get maximum returns.

Walton-Desir noted that this is not an exercise that must be left squarely at the feet of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. She acknowledged that the political Opposition also has its role to play in ensuring it provides scrutiny and in demanding transparency and accountability. She also stressed the need for both sides of the divide to work together on garnering the most from its resources.

“…You will appreciate that not having a united front does provide room for us to be set one against the other. But if as a nation we are saying,  “this is what we want and this is what we are looking for, for the people of Guyana, then there’s no room for anyone to come in and to set us one against the other,” expressed the Shadow Minister.

While the oil and gas sector is an entirely new and complex industry to Guyanese, Walton-Desir said there are examples Guyana can look to as regards the dos and don’ts.  She opined that Trinidad and Tobago as well as Nigeria are very good examples of the perils that can befall a nation that is gripped by poor management and overreliance on the oil revenues.

On the flipside, Walton-Desir said nations such as Norway and Singapore can serve as examples on the best practices new producers like Guyana, can follow in order to have first class operations.

The Shadow Minister said, “We really do have the choice to learn from these nations and not have to have the painful experiences ourselves. The question is do we have a Government that has the political will to do that? From all indications, it appears not. I think we may learn these lessons the very hard way unfortunately.”

A SENSE OF DUTY

Upon entering the political arena in 2020, Walton-Desir explained that she always held the belief that policy leaders are called to be servants of the people and that they are to display a keen sense of duty and humility in every aspect of governance. Over the past few years, however, Walton-Desir said her observations are a far cry from the anticipated outcome.

The Politician said, “I am of the firm belief that when it comes to serving the people of Guyana, there is no room for arrogance. We live in a society that is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious. There are three main religions and each of them provides guidance as to how we as leaders ought to operate.”

Walton-Desir said the Hindu religion teaches about Dharma and principles that really should be employed to govern one’s life. She said the religion also speaks deeply about selflessness. With respect to the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, she said it speaks about the Prophet Muhammad being at the service of others. In Christianity, she noted Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, then drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him. This, Walton-Desir said, is perhaps an ultimate picture of service.

Taking the foregoing into consideration, Walton-Desir said, “We therefore have to bear in mind at all times that leadership requires humility.”

To further cement her point of the humility that is needed amongst policy leaders, Walton-Desir provided a personal example where she recently criticized President Irfaan Ali during a morning show (with her Opposition colleague Sherod Duncan) for what she perceived to be the mispronunciation of Turkey, a country in the Middle East. She said at the time, she was genuinely not aware that the country had applied to the United Nations to have its name changed from “Turkey” to “Türkiye”.

After learning that the President was indeed correct by saying “Türkiye”, she said an apology was issued.

She said, “…we issued a unequivocal apology because we did not get it right and that is what humility is about- being able to acknowledge when you are wrong and take action to correct it. I really do believe that we have leaders in our society who have these attributes. Unfortunately, I don’t see it displayed in the manner that it should be in our public life and that is regrettable…”

In conclusion, she said Politicians on both sides of the divide owe it to the citizenry to act with a sense of pride, dignity, respect and most importantly, with a sense of duty.

 

 

 

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