Dear Editor,
Guyana enters the new decade with tremendous transformation opportunities in its energy sector. All is not lost with the departure of Sithe Global but all is not safe for the nation either. The world has evolved with new actors in the sector such as Brazil. Guyana faces even greater challenges in this sector from a year ago as a result of the Venezuelan political situation.
Although better energy efficiency certainly will help, it is not a panacea and the new renewable energies such as solar still are too expensive for large-scale implementation. While natural gas may provide the bridge to the cleaner and cheaper energies of the future, hydropower and wind for Guyana still remain the primary opportunities to transition Guyana to more reliable and cost effective sources of energy.
The Government of Guyana, has to stop all this talk and propaganda and urgently get the key players in Parliament to return to the table of dialogue from which reasoned decisions can be arrived at in a tripartite arrangement with a credible facilitator such as the Catholic Church. This nation has to work out the kinks to bring hydro-electricity back to the front burner, and we cannot pander to petty politics. Rule by propaganda cannot be the way out of this developmental cul-de-sac; statesmanship and leadership have to be the way.
The PPP has traditional rules with this fear of losing the elections, but when you are transforming a nation with a long-term vision such fear has to make way for a long-term strategy that is professionally executed. Good will always overcame wrongdoing, and if the PPP does good the people will observe, but if they continue this aberrant rule, they will continue to be chastised by the people and no amount of propaganda can help them. Stalin died ages ago and with him that nasty system of propaganda. It cannot work today with the young minds more aware of the issues than their foreparents were. Politicians cannot fool the youths of Guyana. This is not a zero sum game, there are many opportunities for win-win solutions. Everyone is looking for a winning solution and as the strongest political force, the PPP has to stand up and lead and cut out all this propaganda since all it does is waste ministerial time, distract the ministers and eat away at valuable opportunities for progress.
The Amaila Falls experience has shown that there many parties including the IDB who will offer themselves as facilitators and even partial financiers, but it is up to the political leadership to clearly position the conversation and seek the cooperation of the stakeholders to develop what is right for Guyana. We remain convinced that hydropower is right for Guyana; it is economically and socially feasible even though some may continue to have some issues with environmental feasiblity, but those issues can be mitigated.
The PPP as the government of the day, albeit a minority government, is responsible for providing all citizens with modern and reliable sources of energy. If they fail, it cannot be as a result of the majority in parliament, it has to be they have not addressed the concerns of the majority of the people. Now that Sithe Global is out of the picture, the PPP has to urgently engage the Brazilians and the IDB to bring all back to the table.
The General Secretary of the PPP, Mr Clement Rohee, has delivered a heart-warming appeal to the electorate at Babu Jaan that “whatever mistake they have made, they have agreed to correct.” This is exactly the start that is needed to re-programme the developmental agenda. Going forward, Mr Granger and Mr Ramjattan must not be treated as enemies of the state but as partners in correcting those mistakes.
One major mistake that was made was how the Amaila deal was constructed and the role that Mr Winston Brassington and NICIL played in that process. All the players in that failed deal have various credibility issues that the majority in Parliament cannot ignore. Thus true statesmanship would recognize these issues and remove the roadblocks to progress since country always comes first. A true statesman is one who puts his country above his party or himself. Any political junkie can call himself a political leader, but only a very few can call themselves political statesman. Will President Ramotar differentiate himself so that the nation can earn cheap and reliable energy?
We are convinced that what is happening in Venezuela is a very bad omen for Guyana. The political development in Venezuela will not go away in the short-term and thus our economic situation will remain very fragile in this period. Time is of essence.
Yours faithfully,
Asquith Rose
Harish Singh
