…with Diaspora?
One of the most significant outcomes of the first PNC regime was to inflate our Diaspora, where North America became “Region 11” with probably as many persons of Guyanese living there as “back home”. Seeing the important roles other diasporas played in the development of their countries of origin, successive regimes have attempted to duplicate that success here. Without much success.
What gives? With the change of Government in 1992, a horde of ex-pats turned up to “help”. However, unlike other diasporas, they didn’t return with capital that’d be harnessed to their newfound knowledge base to launch industries. Yet this is the role the PPP Government wanted them to play. The diasporans insisted wanted to “help” with their skills in various capacities in local institutions. In other words they wanted jobs – but wouldn’t say so. This created considerable resentment – and a backlash among locals who wanted to know why jobs would go to those who’d “fled”.
This background is invoked as the PNC-led Government that in turn replaced the PPP is evidently working out the details of a “diaspora policy”. But from what your Eyewitness has glimpsed, the fundamental clash of perspectives that bedevilled the previous Administration is still a sticking point. There’s no question this new Government received great support – material and otherwise – from the Diaspora in their efforts to unseat the PPP. And (reading between the lines) from some letters in the press, they expected local jobs. Even government jobs. Not totally some locals who’d made “political investments”!!
But from Prezzie’s comments, he – like Dr Jagan back in the 1990’s – expected investments from them – which isn’t evidently as significantly as he’d envisaged. What to do? Well in its “diaspora policy” the government will still be focusing on getting the Diaspora to shell out their cash to develop Guyana – pointing out, of course, they’d also benefit. Information will be made accessible via the Internet to prospective overseas Guyanese investors, then “entrepreneurs” will be identified to activate a pilot project etc…
Now while the jury may be out as to whether the Government beating the bushes for diasporan investors will succeed, it is certain to intensify the angst of the vociferous “diasporans” who’ll complain of being seen as just “cash cows”. While they may not be so bold (or honest) to link their demands for local jobs as a “return on political investments” as one Minister described a local instance, this is the bottom line.
But since the diasporans insist on taking the “patriotic line”, maybe Prezzie can take a leaf from Cheddi Jagan’s book and offer them $1 annual salaries!
This ought to separate the wheat from the chaff, nuh?
…on taxes
Very quietly, the value of gold mined and not declared to the authorities in Colombia and Peru has surpassed cocaine! Gold’s now the criminal activity of choice in those countries. While early in the day, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman made some astounding claims as to the value of gold “smuggled” out of Guyana – as much as what’s legally “declared” – he quickly backed off.
But while he focused on the smuggling of the gold, the Latin Americans have made the point if the miners who sell their production to the smugglers don’t declare it to the officials (here the Gold Board) then they’re also committing a crime!! And what was found was this criminal miner had no compunction about mercury pollution.
Now, our miners just raised a big stink because they were asked to “keep books” on their operations. For taxation purposes.
But how about the Government “keep their eyes” on miners who don’t declare their gold? Wouldn’t that bring in more revenues?
…but Special Prosecutors
It does pay to be under the thumb of the government’s Propaganda shill. The Stabber declared the names of the Special Prosecutors (for the coming Inquisition?) on the Pradoville 2 vendetta was a “secret”.
The Chronic, on the other hand, named all six!
