A good idea, although previously ignored, always bears repeating. Here is one: Guyana should officially set about taking advantage of the very substantial unused resource this country has in the Guyanese diaspora sitting in the developed world. Admittedly, no one knows the extent of it – no reliable study has been done – but there is clearly a juggernaut of expertise, financial wherewithal, and, most importantly, considerable commitment to the homeland, in this scattered Guyanese population living abroad. When one considers the continuing, and even urgent need for those commodities in present day Guyana, our government here is missing the boat badly in not mounting a concerted drive to garner them.
Whether it comes through the government directly, or through a probably more palatable private sector stream, an official Guyana Diaspora Office (choose your title) should be established quickly to begin the process of capturing this latent and often neglected resource.
Three years ago, passing through Jamaica, on a trip here, I booked into the Pegasus Hotel to find the place overflowing with an impressive crowd of black-tie Jamaicans; it was a mob scene. I was taken aback. The hotel’s Guyanese manager, Eldon Brenner, laughingly told me, “No, Dave. It’s not Caricom; it’s the Jamaica Diaspora Association.” I had never heard of the group, but the Jamaican PM was there, with most of his cabinet; there
