The rebranding of Guyana

By Trinidad correspondent

The present Government of Guyana must take a long hard look at the image that it has outside of its borders. Possibly they do consider it in passing, when targeting distinct groups in the area of Investments and Tourism, but those groups are more focused on themselves and what they can benefit from a Guyana association.

I make this proposition because  I was surprised to find out that a  number of my close friends and associates are still  harbouring  an  image of Guyana that I have  discarded  some decades ago.

That image, unfortunately, was embedded during what is known as the Burnham era; it was an image to be sure, that was not entirely wrong. The image of shortages of the most basic food stuff, chronic underdevelopment, bankruptcy, floods, outages, racism and repression and a corresponding lavish lifestyle of the elite was what was seen as Guyana.         

So strongly embedded were the images of hopelessness  and poverty  that at home when one heard a Guyanese accent one instinctively held on to one’s pockets. It was an era that saw massive migration of Guyanese which in turn brought people in the outside world into contact with the reality of Guyana through the real horror stories told by real victims.

Of course back, then Guyana was not on anyone’s list as a holiday destination. I have said all this to say, that more than 22 years after the Burnham era, the images linger on and the views persist in the Caribbean and beyond. This is a tragedy since Guyana today is a far cry from those dark days.

Today the Guyanese who had fled are returning and too few are leaving to spread the news of a new Guyana. On a visit to Trinidad as recent as February this year, a close friend, female, educated at post-graduate level and up to date on world affairs confronted me with the questions: “Does Guyana have nightlife? Are there taxis to get around? What do they eat there? Are all the houses wooden? Do they use outhouses? Do they have TV stations?”

All these because I suggested a visit to Guyana, a place she confided, she promised she would never go. As we stand on the verge of a national election, this is an appropriate time to focus on the Guyana you want the world to know.
Guyana is in need of rebranding.

Unfortunately, an election time is no time to rebrand, but it provides an impetus and the evidence that suggest it is of paramount importance, not only for the Guyanese Government and its citizens, but also for the world that is surely missing out a blossoming paradise about to unfold. Should the PPP/C lose this crucial election there would be no need to rebrand Guyana. To some, or frankly to many their loss would be a return to the dark days whose images linger on. Even if the aspirants would like to correct the image it would not work and would be akin to Satan correcting sin.

The only ones that would have the moral authority to sell the new Guyana would be those who have been responsible for its creation. And if that distinction is lost on those who had banished Guyana to the back of their minds, it would help to remember the intervention of the outside world which said, enough is enough, and insisted that Guyana joined company with the rest of the world in embracing free and fair elections. It would help to remember Walter Rodney, one of Guyana’s finest minds, murdered because he dared to oppose!  Innocent Guyanese shot down because they dared to insist on free and fair elections!

The bankruptcy of Guyana then deemed the second poorest nation   in the Western Hemisphere! Those issues and countless others that  characterised  a brutal and uncaring dictatorship willing to deny its citizens the basics of a decent existence, while the chosen few lived lifestyles comparable to the  excesses of the Roman Empire.

On the other hand should the PPP/C return to office, (and I mean return with the numbers that count) their task would be to share their successes, their vision and their new Guyana with the world.

And what gives the current administration its branding rights?
Well, today Guyana can report that between 1992 and 2014 it reported growth in every year except 1998, 2000 and 2005. House loan interest moved from the absurd figure of 32 per cent to 4.25 per cent.

The 2013 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Report  highlighted Guyana as having the highest  economic growth in the Caribbean ; and  between 2012  and 2014 Guyana’s economy increased by 25 per cent to $650 billion.

The foregoing does not spell out the strides in education, health and infrastructure. Nor does it reflect the social and psychological welfare that pervades this once stressed nation. Guyana was left behind for decades and had to catch up with the rest of its neighbours (rightly so) and to be honest, there is some catching up to do.

But I can see no reason now, why Guyana cannot be spoken about in the same glowing terms as Jca, Bdos, Gda and many others, be it for leisure investment, work or play.

The message has to start taking root in Guyana itself. Guyanese must first appreciate that the peace, serenity and stability they now enjoy came with a price.

Charity must begin at home and for the outside world to believe, Guyana must believe! May 11th is the beginning of the process of rebranding Guyana. The people’s vote must say I BELIEVE! and only then would there be something to celebrate and share with the outside world.