There is a lot that first needs to be accomplished to drive national development

Dear Editor,
Spending $2 billion to US$3 billion on a data center while the basic needs of the country have not been fully addressed is not in our nation’s best interest. These funds can have a significant positive impact on drainage and irrigation, which continue to be major problems along the coast; food costs continue to rise, the water system is in dire need of improvement; and, most importantly, the electricity provided to our citizens remains undependable.
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana (CRG) can appreciate the enthusiasm of our young President, but he must remember to fix what is fundamental before reaching for investment opportunities that are less competitive than the alternatives available to those investors.
Cold weather locations continue to be preferred for data centers because of the cost advantages and the professional expertise gained due to the high concentration of data centers in these areas. In addition, our rice farmers and sugar industry continue to struggle, and the bauxite industry and gold sector have not transitioned to value-added products. The priorities for our nation must continue to be meeting our fundamental needs for safety, healthcare, food, shelter, education, and clean-living conditions.
We need police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers, and engineers first and foremost. Let’s spend this money on the investments needed to fix the current shortages we have in key areas before spending billions of USD on projects that do not quickly recoup the investment and do not quickly improve the lives of our citizens.
Investments in infrastructure need to continue in areas that address sea defense concerns due to rising sea levels; in areas that provide dependable electricity; in areas that allow clean drinking water to be delivered to every home; and in areas that will make the flow of drainage consistent and our irrigation systems effective.
When funds are contemplated for investment in sectors where Guyana cannot gain a competitive advantage and where the return on investment is unacceptable, we must ensure that our leaders regain focus on the key issues that will foster stronger future investment and development.
Morocco has been successful in achieving national development due to improved infrastructure and substantial foreign direct investment linked to new trade deals. Our government has a similar opportunity but has yet to exploit it. Our young nation needs the trade deals with other countries necessary to further develop and sustain the growth trajectory we are currently on.
Our lumber should propel us into the furniture industry; our gold should propel us into the jewelry industry; our bauxite should propel us further into the oil and gas sector, and the automotive and aerospace industries ; our sugar should propel us further into the spirits industry; our virgin land should propel us into the organic food industry; and our new financial strength should propel us in the financial sector via investments and a strengthening banking sector.
Where are the trade agreements for these opportunities? Where are the investments to support the growth that our resources can leverage? These opportunities are within our reach, and these are opportunities where we can become very competitive and profitable.
Our President and his cabinet must place additional focus on what Guyana can achieve with its Natural and Human Resources while ensuring that their ambitions closely align with the needs of our citizens. This approach must be preferred over pursuits which are popular in the media but can result in substantial monetary waste and a lower return on our resources.
Let’s also not forget that where there are super expensive projects, there are also high levels of corruption and pilferage. The anti-corruption initiative recently launched by this administration must be given an opportunity to become effective before allowing high levels of government spending to continue.
Our nation ‘s leadership must begin with humility, a realistic view of what is possible, a clear vision for our nation’s future, and the consistent pursuit of it. A pursuit led by them must help our nation make substantial progress towards this vision over the next five years.
We must, as a nation, maintain our focus, and we must have a clear and consistent message for all our citizens to align with our goals.

Best regards,
Jamil Changlee