Vision…for the country

It’s said if you don’t know where you’re going, you ain’t never gonna get there!! And it’s as true for countries as for people. But for countries, while it ultimately depends on everybody putting their shoulders to the (developmental) wheel, it’s up to the Government we’ve elected to chart a course and steer the wheel towards it. It’s a vision thing – what do we want for ourselves writ large – and as such, our country. Having just had Budget 2026 debated and passed in the National Assembly, we should have a very clear idea about where we’re gonna place the next (developmental) step. But where are we headed??
Well, Pressie took the opportunity to tell us exactly that when he launched – under the theme “Building Tomorrow’s Future Today” – the 5th Annual Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo at the Marriott. Basically, he plans to use our oil revenues and the associated gas that’s gonna be brought ashore to do a number of things – diversifying the economy so that we don’t remain a one-trick (oil) pony. We don’t have to look elsewhere for the dangers of that strategy – if one can call it a “strategy”!! We experienced it with sugar – which once carried the entire country on its back!! And now that its back is broken – look at how the ungrateful are insisting it be left to rot and die!!
He answered the critics who complain they “can’t eat roads” – as if that’s a criticism of development that’ll leave our people right where they are. He pointed out that if we really want to – say – feed ourselves and eliminate hunger – we gotta open up mega farms like the ones now producing soya and sweet corn to feed cattle!! And it takes ROADS to bring those products to markets on the coast!! And so on and so forth with everything we intend to produce. Like that gas-to-shore project in Wales that ain’t just gonna produce electricity to power our national grid but will also be used as feedstock to manufacture fertilisers and methanol, etc. Not to mention bottling natural gas for us to use in our kitchens. Berbice’s now gonna have its own gas pipeline to catalyse development there.
To lead the world in sustainable development, Pressie also mentioned we’re gonna revive the Amaila Hydro project – which the APNU/AFC Government spitefully torpedoed!! And not only use AI to improve delivery of all services – but also host a US$500M data centre!!
Your Eyewitness can’t regurgitate the entire vision here to give it justice!! Suffice it to say it knocked the socks off the quite economically savvy audience!! Imagine Chevron’s head saying that Ali’s vision won’t only change Guyana – but the world!!

…and lack thereof
You just can’t please some people. One local wailing Jeremiah’s been screaming “corruption!!!” for years, which the Government admits is a problem which they’re working to reduce!! The fella just couldn’t swallow Transparency International’s announcement that in their worldwide “Corruption Index” – Guyana improved by one point!! This was “inconsequential”, he bleated!! And how’d he know?? Through the “lived experience” of ordinary folks – even though he didn’t even conduct a survey!!
The fact is, Transparency International gets the data to put out its report from a local affiliate – which has shown it’s no friend of the Government! And as such wouldn’t have pulled any punches!! In any third-world economy expanding as fast as ours – without the guardrails that took centuries to build by the developed economies but still have corruption – the best the Government can do is establish institutions – setting rules of the game – and then monitor the gatekeepers who’re gonna be inevitably tempted with bribes!!
It’ll take time, but TI says we’re heading in the right direction!!

…dimmed
The Stabber’s closure is fundamentally due – as they’ve reiterated – to folks not only choosing to get their info from social media but also, because they’re increasingly becoming functionally illiterate, they can’t do otherwise!!
It’s now communication by grunts!!