A train derails in Ohio, be warned Guyanese

Mar 17, 2023 Editorial

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Kaieteur News – On February 3^rd, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.  It was no ordinary train, but one that routinely transports hazardous materials.  Fish in significant numbers perished, area residents (5,000) evacuated, with many complaining of feeling sick.  Additionally, 15,000 pounds of soil and over a million gallons of water have been contaminated, with new damages daily.  It was a train ball bearing overheating, when disaster struck.

Officials have assured residents that the water is safe, the air clean.  Residents are not buying that, with many removed from the site of the derailment.  In a recent meeting between railway officials and East Palestine residents, matters became tense, as participants grew increasingly agitated, leading to attendees from Norfolk Southern (the company) withdrawing from concerns about their safety.

Americans have earned a reputation for standing up for their rights, through confronting officials, no matter how high or overpowering, and demanding answers. They are quick to discern when they are being patronized with empty responses to their concerns and questions, and make their anger and disgust known, without any punches pulled.  In brief, Americans do not mess around when their wellbeing is involved, when their communities and children are at risk of harm.

We at this publication applaud the people of East Palestine, Ohio for standing up for their interests.  Only the casual and reckless, the unconcerned and the mindless, are negligent in looking out for themselves. It is usually too late when danger becomes real, and what could happen (as assessed to occur in extreme circumstances only) actually happens, when such is no longer the rarity it was said to be.

Considering this, we also are prompted to applaud our own fellow citizens, the residents of Houston, East Bank Demerara, for their bold and relentless stance over their concerns about dangers from hazardous chemicals and similar harmful materials. It is what is self-protective, what is commonsense and reasonable, and what must trump every other consideration.

The first loyalty, the only one in circumstances of possible peril, is to oneself always, and to one’s family and those in the surrounding community.  As one is endangered and impacted, so could the rest be too.  This is what is taking shape in the objections and postures of other worried Guyanese in the Wales area.  In this instance, it is related to the proposed gas-to-energy project.  There is the powerful sense that Guyana’s authorities and watchdogs are not being particularly diligent, or going the extra mile, in prioritizing the safety and peace of mind of those in the vicinity of Wales.  The local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now gained a level of contemptuous notoriety for its seeming slapdash; one size fits all, approach that leaves residents agitated and furious.

As much as Guyanese want cheap and dependable energy supplies, the soonest they can get both, they put a premium on being around in a condition that helps them actually partake of, and benefit from, such a long-awaited development.  In other words, some of them are taking matters in their own hands with spirited public objections lodged, and in the hope that there is some yielding at the official level.  Guyanese do not wish to be the guinea pigs, or sacrificial lambs, to fulfill the ambitions of the powerful, the well-connected, and any others in the ranks of those calculating on a financial killing from the Wales gas-to-energy project.

Locals do not have much confidence in public consultations, which are now being dismissed as the farces and games of both politicians and bureaucrats connected to them.  Also, Guyanese have become increasingly vigilant on how foreign company officials conduct their vast array of businesses, how those same officials are believed to look down on them, and how they are determined to spend the least money where safety precautions and standards are concerned. Guyanese have gotten wiser relative to policies and procedures dressed up for local consumption, and which speak the most comforting words about compliance with safety regulations, while pushing ahead quietly with what endangers.

The problem in Guyana is that too few are standing up.   Too many are too subservient to politicians.  Too many are too lackadaisical about their own safety.  Hopefully, that is beginning to change.

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• East Palestine residents, Editorial, fish, Houston, Ohio

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