Global COVID-19 emergency

May 15, 2023 Editorial

Kaieteur News – It is official: the World Health Organization recently declared the global COVID emergency to be over. The world can exhale deeply, with removal of masks, no more needles to fear, the freedom to mix and mingle, shake hands, even exchange a hug and a kiss. Citizens in open societies around the world are definitely rejoicing. Unfortunately, there is nothing of the kind in the now confirmed (again) fastest growing economy in the world, Guyana.

Instead, it is the lamentable lot of Guyanese to be continued to be sicken by a virus of a strange sort: Guyanese are afflicted with a case of political COVID. It is national in scope, and comes in several strains: leadership COVID, government COVID, divisive COVID, but always a severely sickening COVID.

Guyana’s COVID is ongoing, has been going on for the last 60 years to pandemic degrees, and shows no signs of stopping, even weakening. In fact, with the celebrations over the arrival of oil in great quantities, leadership COVID and governmental COVID are now delirious like never seen before. Leadership COVID has inflicted Guyana’s political spectrum with a deep-seated madness. They are those who cannot stop themselves from gushing about oil and ExxonMobil, and how much both have come to mean for Guyanese. While others stricken by leadership COVID are unable to breathe a straight or clean word for Guyana’s oil and against America’s ExxonMobil. The national Guyanese family must take stock of all this, and wonder who stands with them, who stands for them…

What Guyanese are forced to deal with is a crisis of catastrophic proportions. Even the people who should be protecting the local environment and the wellbeing of locals, Guyana’s EPA, has the backs of foreigners, as they shamelessly abandon Guyana, stab citizens in the jugular. As said before, the elected Government of Guyana is laid so low by this version of COVID that it is now inseparable from ExxonMobil. This is how badly government is infected by this peculiar sickness that it cannot even standup and defend the interests of Guyanese. Matters have deteriorated to such a wanton state that even a former President is jumping through hoops, in supporting ExxonMobil, while leaving locals to defend themselves however they can. Whether it is the ruling PPP/C Government, or its leading spokespeople, racing to reverse a decision that is favourable to locals, Guyanese find themselves in the same pathetic boat: they are their own.

Considering the actions of the PPP/C Government, there should already have been a no-confidence motion, given the rank of betrayal that has occurred. Whatever happened to our honourable and patriotic Guyanese parliamentarians? Where are our fine, decent Guyanese MPs who are so wonderfully skilled at posturing? How come they are not ready to walk the talk that flows so easily, in standing up for what is good for Guyanese? Though unimaginable, Guyanese had better come to grips with this awful reality: there may not be so much as a small handful of them to make a difference, so pitiful they are in the clutches of foreign masters, foreign entanglements. And there is something that still has to be said. Though it sounds highly impossible, it may be extremely difficult to find that single Guyanese MP, man or woman, who is willing to be unselfish and sacrifice for what could have benefits for Guyanese for generations to come.

COVID felled a lot of people worldwide, and if Guyanese are not careful, not strong, not sensible then Guyana’s version of the dreaded COVID could devastate them and their families. This has already been happening in the money department, in the national leadership department, and the protection department. This one is homegrown, and did not come out from a laboratory in some distant country. Guyana’s COVID came out of our political, racial, and social labs, and grows immensely stronger with the coming of oil.

ExxonMobil’s 2016 contract is Guyana’s current COVID, and it is a dangerous one, a disease to be feared like the plague, and fought against with all the might and grittiness that each and every citizen can find. Guyanese are now leaderless at the national level. Each had better hold their own head, think deeply, act wisely.