May 7,2021
Dear Editor,
In response to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill’s urging preparations from us citizens for the influx of foreigners and expatriates that will follow the oil wealth and the building of no less than eight new hotels within the next couple of years, I would like to know just what “preparations” the minister expects from us. (Guyana Times, May 6, 2021) Does he expect us, the Guyanese citizens, to: fix the potholes in the roads; cut the bush; clean the drains, canals and gutters; clear the pavements of the eyesore of vendors; fix the police force in order to lessen the crime including the bag-snatching, chain-snatching crimes considered petty but which are traumatic and devastating for the victims? All the talk of the coming development from public officials always extend to large scale projects that will cost trillions and trillions of dollars. Guyana is set to have splendiferous oases of hotels and residential communities that will shine forth from behind high security gates and fences and wherein the water will flow – and at proper pressures – 24/7; where steady electricity supply will be round-the-clock and be provided by private generators; where the lawns will be manicured and bushes trimmed and tidied; and where a splendid blue pool will sport calypso-coloured umbrellas to shade the privileged from the tropical sun.
If the tourist and expatriate clientele venture from their secure, shining oases they will do so in sleek air-conditioned vehicles with tightly wound-up windows from which they will gawk at the “third world” poverty in which we will continue to sprawl. For some of them, this might even appear as some romantic ideal of a simpler life which they will photograph as exotica and share with friends on their return home. To date, none of the promised development of which the government officials speak include providing the basic services and amenities which all of Guyana desperately need: potable water supply for every household at a pressure that can reach at least a second storey; 24/7 electricity supply; solid waste management for every town and village; well-maintained pavements and parapets; clean drains and canals; well-kept cemeteries; proper management of kokers and sluices; a no-littering policy that is enforced; law and order on the roads; law and order everywhere; an urgent reduction in crime; a competent police service; and a competent fire service. This is by no means an exhaustive list. The many promised development projects that will cost zillions all have the attractive potential for largescale corruption whereas providing the services that are listed above, along with the maintenance schedules to keep everything tidy and in good repair, add up to paltry sums in comparison. The math favours the zillion-dollar projects and we, citizens, who are being exhorted to put on our best clothes and best manners for the influx of well-heeled foreigners must know our place in the scheme of things. It is of course in the best Guyanese tradition that we put out our best food and china for guests while we eat the scraps from enamel plates. It’s called Guyanese hospitality, I believe. Perhaps the goodly minister knows of what he speaks.
Sincerely,
Ryhaan Shah