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Guyana at 59
Editorial…
Kaieteur News- Fifty-nine years of Independence should have Guyana bubbling with energy. The discovery of oil in abundance should have been enough to give Guyana new life, through vibrancy of spirit, a sense of having conquered old demons, ready for the challenges of being a different kind of country. All the old limitations replaced by fresh visions, new determinations. As we see it, something strange happened with the coming of oil.
After 59 years of Independence, the definition of national self-determination underwent a change. Instead of brimming with unharnessed power to leap forward, Guyana is going backward, ever downward. This cannot be Independence from ancient colonialism and imperialism. Truth be told, this is the self-destruction that is foisted upon poor, backwards countries where the richness of oil impales its leaders, drives a stake into the expectations of trusting citizens.
On this, the 59th Anniversary of Guyana’s Independence, there is a national crisis. It is where leaders make complete fools of themselves, then try to camouflage that by abusing citizens who expose their emptiness. In a country that is supposed to be free of any shackles, there is the national embarrassment of leaders who are afraid to speak. Strong men speak in shrill tones, like weak children who have a losing hand, but still try to sell that they have something of substance behind them. Guyana’s leaders tiptoe around talking about the nation’s immense oil wealth, as if doing so would open them up to powerful blows.
In the normal manner of cowards, they look around for the powerless in the population to batter into helplessness, instilling greater fear and dependency on their moods and their goodwill. Real Independence would uncork all the energy in real leaders possessing real substance. But, as the history of Africa, Asia, and Latin America has emphasized, those who linked hands with exploiters, who bartered their nation’s birthright for personal enrichment, usually can’t speak. They can’t represent the interests of their citizens, can’t stand for anything. They hem and haw, pretend to cover lots of space, only for it to be noticed that they haven’t moved at all. All they do is keep their feet planted and go around in circles. Those are not the actions of independent leaders, but those who have condemned themselves by their still unrevealed treacheries. In the last 59 years, Guyana moved from under the saddle of sugar and bauxite masters to under the bridle of oil and gas masters. From British masters to American masters, and that is celebrated as Independence.
On the occasion of Guyana’s 59th Anniversary of Independence, nine years ago, when oil was first discovered, the ordinary citizens of this country dared to dream of economic liberation. They imagined that it would not be too long before they actually tasted the fruits of that kind of independence. Real money in their hands, great strides made by every Guyanese living their oil dream, sharing in the rewards of their oil. Little of that has happened, with hopes fading, confidence weakening that such will ever be.
Nine years later, most Guyanese are trapped in their unchanging cycles of poverty, their grandparents’ grim view of life’s unyielding cruelties. There should have been economic independence that flows from being part and parcel of sharing in massive oil wealth. What Guyanese are forced to live with is the dependence cultivated by leaders who cheat their promises. The same callous leaders then hand the citizens a dollar to keep them under control and hanging on a string. Be patient is the mantra, for there is more like that coming for those who bottle up their angry disappointment, and subscribe to the con games of tricksters masquerading as leaders.
Just as in the days of the old colonials, the hog of the profits from Guyana’s riches leaves these shores in the hands of foreign exploiters. What has changed after 59 years of Independence, other than for the flag and accents of those who don’t call themselves conquerors but partners? Rev Jim Jones had his Kool-Aid, and he also had promised independence to his flock of partners. In this, the 59th year of Guyana’s Independence, oil has become a toxic brew, and Guyanese leaders are the new Jim Jones.
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