Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter published on June 2, titled ‘Having a foreigner as head of GTT constitutes an assault on our dignity’. I do not agree with the arguments made by the writer; my position is that persons should not be labelled and vilified because of their nationality or ethnicity. Why did the writer besmirch the CEO of GTT with references to ‘imperial powers’, ‘independence’, ‘inferiority’ and ‘sovereignty’, when the only ‘bad’ thing he can throw at this man is his nationality? I am sure that the CEO was a child or probably didn’t even exist when Guyana gained her independence and played no role in colonising her.
The writer must have heard that Guyana with a population of less than a million has one of the highest rates of emigration and brain drain in the world and the statistics are there for anyone willing to spend a few minutes on research. We are frequently reminded of the over 80% of tertiary educated persons who have left these shores for greener pastures. And many of them occupy prominent positions in the private and public sectors of their adopted lands. Just recently the foreigners recognised the contributions of Guyanese and their descendants in the USA by co-naming Liberty Avenue in Queens, New York as ‘Little Guyana’. The world is more connected than ever before and countries through the sharing of technology, knowledge and personnel have developed immensely. Many countries with small populations such as Dubai and Singapore have developed rapidly due to the manpower and skills of foreign workers.
Countries do not exist by themselves; through cooperation and diplomacy they safeguard their sovereignty and, in this regard, the recent elections fiasco and the border problems with Venezuela come to mind. And what about trade, training and healthcare just to mention a few other areas? Where did Guyana source Covid-19 vaccines from? Are they developed locally? Xenophobia should be discouraged; instead of judging others based on ethnicity and nationality focus on something substantial like performance. From since the beginning of time, people have been leaving their countries to work in foreign lands and through their contributions they help in the development process. Some countries like Canada actively seek skilled labourers regardless of nationality/ethnicity and many Guyanese (of their own free will) have been reeled in to help build Canada.
I know nothing about the CEO of GTT but maybe through his experience and skills he can improve the company and lessen the complaints. Quite often the only place one really can make a difference and institute change is at the helm. And on the matter of local content, I have never met a foreign worker at any GTT locations; what percentage of GTT staff is Guyanese? The fact remains that skilled labour is always needed and people will continue to leave their countries to work in foreign lands. Just like how Guyanese leave here for foreign lands, foreigners will come to work. We can learn from each other and Guyanese will benefit from the sharing of knowledge and technology but it has to be coupled with good government policies that prioritise the interest of the people and country.
Sincerely,
Narissa Deokarran
