Some might’ve thought that Pres Ali’s “Silica City” announcement some years ago was just a gimmick. But it should now be clear that, unlike Burnham, who talked about having a new city on higher ground in the then North West District, this president ain’t just full of ideas, among other things!!
He ain’t no “talk man”, but is a “do man”!! It appears he’s long nurtured this dream – since the early 2000s, when he was Minister of Housing, to be exact. Maybe that’s the reason he did his PhD dissertation at UWI on urban planning?? And now that he’s got the authority to make his dream a reality, he’s going full steam ahead!! Silica City, here we come!!!
Now, there are many reasons why Ali’s locational choice is so appropriate. First of all, there’s the question of practicality: which investors and pioneers were going to move all the way to the now Region 1 to set up a new city?? Jim Jones II?? Hasn’t the Government been trying with Mabaruma for the longest while? Let’s face it: that idea wasn’t sustainable, like most of Burnham’s big ideas; and that’s why it never got off the ground – pun intended!! The time will come for Region One to have its city to match Mad Maduro’s machinations, but it’s not now!!
So, what makes Silica City right, apart from its alliterative ease on the tongue!? Well, it’s far from the madding crowd (and stench!) of Georgetown, and being near CJIA, it’s actually as close as you can get to the international investment crowd we’re trying to attract into our country!! And with the Highway to Lethem soon to be completed, it’s closer to both Linden and that behemoth to our south – Brazil; with which we’ll be strengthening our trading links!! Silica City’s also gonna be closer to the Intermediate Savannahs, where we’re diversifying our agricultural base away from sugar and rice!!
The President has just reiterated the incentives that are available for “pioneers” as we begin to “bust open” our interior!!
Now, your Eyewitness feels we gotta speak frankly to those who’ll soon be hollering “discrimination!!” when Silica City’s off and running. Let them apply NOW for housing or business – or whatever – permits!! And if they don’t, “TOO LATE” shall be the cry!! Linden, with its Opposition supporters, is in the best position to take advantage of this opportunity, and the Opposition should encourage and organise this initiative!!
But your Eyewitness has a suggestion for Pres Ali. Why not move the Government’s administrative infrastructure to Silica City? That’s what Brazil did when they created Brasilia in the middle of the Amazon during the 1960s!!
What can you lose but the invitation to be crippled by strikes??!!
…Guyana’s politics
Some (well-meaning) Guyanese think that if our two competing parties – which go back to our independence struggle, like in Kenya – were to come together, all our troubles would be over!!! That’s a thought that’s gained traction over the years – and has been tried in several other divided societies. But the trouble we see unfolding in Sudan isn’t unique; and, in fact, has become the rule when power sharing is tried. When the Government and the Opposition become one, it’s like putting one big cat to guard the milk!! The corruption increases exponentially!!
Isn’t this what happened next door, in Suriname?? Why’d you think they’re bankrupt, in the hands of the IMF, and their citizens are marching periodically in the streets?? For years, their coalition governments have had to hire supporters in such numbers that practically the entire country’s on the Government’s payroll!! Ain’t no way to run a country!!
And so, let Kenya and so many other places that tried this “Executive Power sharing” be object lessons for us!!
Sounds good, but there ain’t no quick fixes!!
…a peaceful Haiti?
Ever since Kenyan troops landed in Haiti to bring peace in gang-controlled Port-au-Prince, there’s been a cessation of news of violence. Does this mean that they’ve taken control?? Hardly!! A lull is more like it!!
