Sounds of Silence

Feb 27, 2024 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

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H@rd Truths by GHK Lall –

Kaieteur News – If anyone started crooning those memorable lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel, I suggest stopping and starting over with song.  Possibly, the O’Jays “Money, money, money….”  As much as “hello darkness my old friend” has deep relevance to what is going on in this oil prairie, it is more about how the top people from world capitals come here, and then adjust to here.

What I am gathering is that the word from Washington and Whitehall to their senior envoys is that mum is the word.  Take note of how Her Excellency, Ambassador, Excellency Nicole D. Theriot is quieter than a skilled, serial safecracker.  Not a word out of her, not any position taken on anything local.  I never thought that this would be said, but I miss the days of the effusive one, Her Highness Sarah Ann Lynch.  But Ambassador Nicole Theriot is not the only one struck silent.  The High Commissioner for His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom, Ms. Jane Miller, OBE, has also retreated into the woodwork, after an enterprising start.  Why, the Observer of the British Empire felt comfortable enough to venture into Guyana’s Local Government elections, and had her say.  In her plummy British accent, of course, which made the natives sit up and pay attention.  Unfortunately, orders from the London High Command to the High Commissioner can be reduced to the pithiness of three words, as gleaned from four examples: stick to business.  British business interests.  Follow Greg Quinn. Remember Tullow Oil.

The flip side of that, is that the natives are left to squabble on their own, fight one another, and have a jolly good time while at it. In this era of political correctness (and Wikileaks) no official is so foolish as to commit to paper what could be construed as blatantly racist, and subtly imperialist in design.  I look around, take a peek into the papers, and there is not a word from any of the plenipotentiaries from old mother country, and new big brother country.  The word is straightforward: concentrate on business for the kingdom’s companies and commerce for the capitalists in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Wall Street, Manhattan. How could I leave the Old Confederacy of Texas out of consideration?  My mistake, but no Guyanese should make the mistake of forgetting that a large part of that state was built on: the backs of slave labor, the land of poor peons from El Paso, in what was once Mexico.  And some of that oil in the Permian Basin that has roots in old Mexico.

Given their marching orders, the resident senior diplomats from two of Guyana’s strongest allies have retreated to their fortresses and underground bunkers.  They make an occasional appearance to deliver a few sharp words to Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to know his place, and stay on his side of the border.  Guyanese get carried away in thinking that the verbal saber rattling is on their behalf.  Ye gods! When will people in this country get some sense?  The postures are to signal their readiness to protect their country’s assets.  Business assets, which are among their only permanent interests.  If any Guyanese desires to trace the in-the-face reaction of Mr. Alistair Routledge to Venezuela’s warning about exploring for oil in Essequibo, simply cast eyes on who stands behind him.  Guyana is a secondary consideration in all of this.  Once the government is in the bag, along with the president, vice president, and opposition leaders (plus parliament and pieces of the local judiciary), then Venezuela is nothing but small fry.  Maduro, and whoever follows him, would be dealt with, and the oil wealth excitedly explored and extracted and exported with the freest of hands.

All the while, the US and UK people are watching and saying nothing.  Silence is golden; and so also is that oil now being produced by Exxon at well over 600,000 barrels a day.  The offshore pumps are working overtime, and the onshore foreign diplomatic doyennes (who is more senior?) are having their version of siesta time.  I have some news for fellow Guyanese.  Starting early next year, the US and UK plenipotentiaries are going to break their silence, and come alive.  After all, it is an election year in Guyana, and the franchises have to be protected.  Those cover from Exxon to KFC, but nothing for the PNC or AFC. The PPPC is currently considered to be a franchise to be powerfully guarded.  Look at Excellency Ali, look at VP Jagdeo, and look at all that they have made possible for foreign enterprises to the detriment of the Guyanese people.  To take this to its natural limit, one could reasonably include OL Norton in that crowd of illustrious Guyanese, who know what is best for Guyanese, but are all about doing what is better for the likes of Exxon and Schlumberger and American Airlines.  I ponder what will become of Lindsay Caya/CH4, given the little quirks and hiccups with that EXIM loan.  There could be a Chinese government loan to fund the work of an American corporate entity.  See, why the silence reigns and rains supreme: money has no enemies.  Only traitorous Guyanese like me.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• Excellency, Garfunkel, GHK Lall, H@rd Truths, Simon

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