Dear Editor,
It took seven years to get justice; it was a hard and tedious task. I am no weakling, but I believe it takes a special kind of person to be involved in a venture of this magnitude, that realized our sovereignty over two thirds of the black gold that exists in the maritime zone off the Corentyne River.
I ask myself, do these stakeholders sleep? Do they have time for proper meal hours? Do they have time for socializing away from any political gathering? I doubt it, and I would never like to be in their shoes. I am speaking of the present and former heads of state of our country.
The vast investments that will follow after our oil has been found, will find employment for our people; finance will be generated and those who watched us with scorn will realize that we have now come of age.
If I say let us stand firm behind the government of the day, it may sound as if I am lobbying for our hard-working President Bharrat Jagdeo, but it is obvious that if we do not stand together now, we will be denying ourselves, our children and our children’s children the opportunity to be truly independent.
Though they have all gone, our political leaders who were there before – and I am speaking of all of them – Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan, Peter D’Aguiar, Janet Jagan and Desmond Hoyte, have made their contributions to our light at the end of the tunnel.
After reading and hearing the news on Thursday, September 20, I felt somewhat elated, hopeful and very thankful that should our venture in oil exploration be fruitful (which I feel certain of ) we Guyanese will benefit economically.
As a Guyanese who is very proud of my country, I do not look to see who would gain political mileage. We should all, yes all of us, regardless of our political affiliation, regardless of our ethnicity hold one head now and remember that together we stand divided we fall.
I have always accepted that if there is a God (and I believe there a Supreme Being) my country will not remain and could never remain as one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere. Our adversary in the oil venture may not take the result sitting down and all of us must stand firm and maintain that what is ours remains ours.
I appeal to all political leaders in and out of Parliament to come together; you all are the fathers of this nation, and should not let our country and the people down.
The present head of our country’s family will now need all the backing from all sectors of our self-imposed divide.
Yours faithfully,
Murtland Williams
