To: The Guyana Times
Dear Editor,
Your letter writer Robin Singh either cannot comprehend the language used by concerned members of civil society, or he is pretending to be environmentalist, for he accuses us of the following [in GT 2022-04-04]:
“To ask Barbadian PM Mia Mottley to shut down the oil-and-gas sector before it delivers on its promise of betterment for all Guyanese is (in my view) treasonous and an affront to the nation, which is on a path to becoming among the wealthiest (per capita) in the world; the betrayal is especially keen to the vulnerable.”
“… the ‘environmentalists’ are anti-poor in their agenda of no gold mining, no logging, no oil, no, no, no.”
So my response is:
1. We are not calling for a shut-down of the Guyana Oil & Gas industry.
2. We are not anti-poor.
3. We have no agenda of no gold mining, no logging, no oil, no, no, no.
4. Ms Mottley has no power to shut down the Guyana operations.
After asserting his false premises, Mr Singh proceeds to deduce treason, affront to the nation, and betrayal. Why is he so vexed? Is it because genuinely qualified environmentalists have affronted him with activism he cannot answer? Or is it also because his piece of the political oil pie, not enjoyed by the nation of struggling people I interact with every day, who have to cope with rising costs of living, is being threatened? Why else does he not dispute the substance of the environmental issues being constantly raised, instead of resorting to straw man fallacies? The Ministry of Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Assessment Board could use some real help to answer questions posed by people who get nothing but abuse for their voluntary expertise. These latter are the genuine patriots. They are not paid to contribute their knowledge to the country. Those who vilify them, however, frequently belong to the political class currently in power, who are paid from taxes, and to those who enjoy political patronage.
Prime Minister Mottley has demonstrated some credible intent to adhere to internationally agreed goals. This ought to be supported because it has in view the ultimate betterment of everyone. We are pointing out the current divergence of Guyana Government policy from these goals. But it does not mean the oil, or the logs or the gold and other minerals have to stop for Guyana, like Mr Singh is falsely claiming we say; the development of these resources must be properly planned and sustainably managed in deed and not just in empty words.
While the world feels it has to tighten its carbon belt, it is influential and reasonable leaders like the Barbados PM who can make the case for those countries to economize who have already enjoyed over a century of development from fossil fuel exploitation. Our own leaders, who have been so easily recolonized by the oil companies to accept 2% royalty, no tax, no monitoring and loads of risk, would thus have lacked the qualification for such an appeal to reason.
Robin Singh does not know me, otherwise he would have known that I lived in the Guyana forests and savannah without wood or fossil fuel or electricity, and that today while living in the city, I can function on the electricity from solar power manufactured with low fossil fuel print.
With respect to Trinidad during its oil boom, they had their own prophets, some of whom are still and around and trying to help warn Guyanese; while in Guyana, we had to suffer the Burnham era, where the only critical letters to the press were published in the Catholic Standard and the Mirror, and only when they had newsprint or other donated paper. So impressed was the PPP in those days of civil society activism that they eventually added a /C after the party name. I wonder what has become of it.
Finally, the source of the eminence accorded me by Mr Singh is simply alphabetical. The other signatories are even more capable of making the case for reason to prevail in Guyana’s extractive sector if they so desire. I indulged in a reply, because I am retiring from trying to convert the headstrong from the elixir of material power to praying for the good of Guyana.
Alfred Bhulai
