Let us not be silent witnesses!

Nov 23, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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…Peeping Tom

kaieteur News- Ray Daggers walked from Corriverton to Charity. It was a journey so epic it might have been plucked from mythology. Braving the heat, rain, and exhaustion, this solitary figure of moral indignation called upon the conscience of a nation to rise against a lopsided oil contract that robs Guyana of its birthright. His trek was a Herculean feat of physical endurance and moral resolve, unmatched in the annals of our nation’s history. Along the way, some cheered him, others walked beside him, but far too few lent their voices to his cry for justice.

Daggers’ journey is not the first clarion call against the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed by our government with oil multinationals. Glenn Lall has been an unrelenting voice in this struggle, organizing pickets, hosting radio shows, and enduring insults, character assassination, and threats. Figures like Christopher Ram and Melinda Janki have meticulously exposed the contract’s exploitative provisions, offering clear evidence of its inequities. None of these individuals stand to gain personally from their efforts. They act not for fame or fortune, but out of a profound sense of public duty.

Yet, where is the outrage of ordinary Guyanese? Why do so many remain silent, even as they know the truth?

In 2018, a representative poll showed that eight out of ten Guyanese disapproved of the PSA. This overwhelming discontent should be enough to galvanize a nation. Yet, political factionalism and fear have dulled the edges of our collective moral outrage.

For supporters of the PPP/C government, to demand change may feel like a betrayal of the party they voted for. APNU+AFC supporters face a similar conundrum, as their party was responsible for signing the very contract in question. And so, we are paralyzed—not by ignorance, but by allegiance. Fear of victimization, social ostracism, or political retribution keeps us from taking a stand.

But history is not kind to silence. Imagine a world where Gandhi had cowered in the face of the British Empire, where Martin Luther King Jr. had succumbed to fear, where Critchlow, Jagan, Burnham, and Rodney had chosen comfort over courage. Their defiance shaped nations, changed destinies, and secured freedoms.

The PSA is not just a bad deal; it is a betrayal. It mortgaged our resources to multinationals while leaving Guyana crumbs from the table of plenty. The revenue we should be using to build schools, hospitals, and infrastructure instead lines the pockets of oil giants. The government, past and present, has failed to renegotiate this travesty, ignoring the will of the people.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a Guyanese issue. Political allegiances should not muzzle your voice when the future of your country is at stake. The oil under our seabed belongs to all of us—PPP supporters, APNU supporters, and those who claim no allegiance. It belongs to our children and their children.

Fear is powerful, but so is courage. Imagine what could happen if every Guyanese who disapproved of the contract took to the streets, wrote a letter, or raised their voice or joined the calls to stay at home in protest. The government would be forced to act—not because it wants to, but because it has no choice. This is the essence of democracy: holding leaders accountable, demanding transparency, and refusing to be silenced by fear or factionalism.

We must break free from this paralysis. History teaches us that the only way to secure justice is through collective action. Let us not squander the sacrifices of those who have walked before us, nor the courage of those who walk now.

This is a call to action. The heroes of our past and the champions of our present have shown us the way. It is now up to us to follow. Take a stand—not for a party, but for a principle. Speak out—not against your neighbor, but for your nation. Demand change—not for yourself, but for generations yet unborn.

The road from Corriverton to Charity is long, but so is the road to justice. Let us walk it together. Let us make Ray Daggers’ journey the spark that ignites a movement. Let us honor the courage of Glenn Lall, Christopher Ram, and Melinda Janki by finding our own. Let us refuse to be silent witnesses to the exploitation of our resources and the mortgaging of our future.

This is your country, your oil, your moment. Take a stand!

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

(Let us not be silent witnesses!)

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• allegiance, Corriverton to Charity., Fear of victimization, Guyanese disapproved, Peeping Tom, silent witnesses

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