Development requires more than oil revenues

Jan 25, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- In one of the most impassioned pleas ever made, an evangelical Bishop Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde begged President Donald Trump, “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” She said, “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children, and Democratic and Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”

She also made a plea on behalf of undocumented immigrants. She said, “And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.”

She added, “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities — these children fear that their parents will be taken away,” she said. “And that you help those that are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands find compassion and welcome here.”

If you have not listened to what Bishop Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde said to President Trump, you should do so now. It was an evocative and emotional appeal. If her words do not tug at your heartstrings, then you have either hardened your soul or lost sight of the direction in which your moral compass is pointing.

Bishop Budde’s plea finds relevance here in Guyana, where a different stage is set but the stakes are just as high. And so, inspired and moved by her appeal, I too make a plea. I make it now to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance for Change (AFC).

I say to these two leading Opposition parties, “In the name of our shared humanity and in the interest of our beloved country, I ask you to undergo a democratic conversion. Have mercy upon the people of Guyana, who, after decades of waiting for betterment deserve to live without fear. The people of Guyana deserve a future free of their votes being devalued. They deserve a Guyana where their future is not mortgaged to the ambitions of a few.

There are mothers and fathers in villages across this nation, who while eking out a living, pray for a day when their children can aspire to more than they had. There are young people in urban centers, brimming with potential but disillusioned by a system that has repeatedly betrayed their trust. There are elders who have witnessed this country stumble under the weight of its history, yearning for hope in their lifetime. These citizens—our citizens—deserve an Opposition that respects democracy as not just a procedural necessity but as the part of our country’s political system and its developmental framework.

The resources are now here. Oil, agriculture, gold, and timber—the wealth of our nation is no longer a dream deferred but a tangible reality waiting to be harnessed. Yet, development requires more than oil revenues; it demands a framework of democratic governance. Without democracy our resources will become a curse, breeding corruption, deepening inequality, and igniting unrest. Unless you, the Opposition, commit unequivocally to democracy, you will not only endanger the country’s future but consign yourselves to history’s harsh judgment.

In Guyana, we have tens of thousands who fear not for their lives but for their livelihoods. Fear has been a tool of politics in our land for too long. I know that you too have fears—fears of marginalization, of being locked out, of being left behind. It is time to dismantle that weapon of fear and commit to building bridges of trust instead.

To you, the PNCR and AFC, I say this: Put the sordid electoral past behind you. Enough of the excuses and the clever maneuvering that undermine the democratic process. Decide now whether you are willing to be champions of democracy or remain chained to the legacy of electoral manipulation.

Without democracy, the country’s resource allocation will remain the preserve of the powerful, disconnected from the needs of the people. Without democracy, the benefits of our newfound wealth will be exported to foreign lands. Locally it will pool at the top, leaving the majority to scramble for crumbs. Without democracy, Guyana will remain trapped in the cycles of distrust, division and disillusionment.

The oil that was discovered offshore will not wait for us to get our house in order. The forces of global capital are not patient, nor are they compassionate. If we do not establish a solid democratic framework now, we risk becoming another resource-rich nation undone by its inability to govern itself wisely.

The power is in your hands to choose a different path. It is a path that will not be easy; it requires a willingness to face uncomfortable truths. But it is the only path that leads to a future where all Guyanese can prosper. The alternative is to continue down the road of division and discord, where the wealth of the nation benefits the few and the dreams of the many are deferred indefinitely.

So I ask you, the PNCR and the AFC, in the name of our shared humanity, in the name of our people, and in the name of Guyana’s future: “If you cannot commit to democracy, stay clear of this year’s elections. Let democracy reign!”

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

(Development requires more than oil revenues)

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• Alliance For Change, Immigrants, Peeping Tom, Peoples National Congress Reform, President Trump

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