Freddie Kissoon in his Kaieteur News column dated September 5, 2019 stated: “I am bamboozled by the insane frequency of the condemnations of Exxon, but no condemnation of the hate Sanjeev said is currently threatening Guyana.”
Another columnist wrote in similar vein of Guyanese condemning Exxon “… your Eyewitness is getting a tad tired with the wailing Jeremiahs griping about the contract with ExxonMobil. What makes their weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth more annoying is that they never ever bring up the man responsible for the contract, they complain about – Raphael Trotman. Shouldn’t these handwringers be demanding that SOCU and SARA investigate this fellow for giving away the store?”
It seems these two eminent writers that record the goings-on in Guyana are, in their referenced extracts above, encouraging Guyanese to focus on what will divide us even more, instead of promoting what will unite us.
When the most powerful of the Oil Super Majors, ExxonMobil, came along spider like and discovered over six billion barrels of oil in Guyana’s offshore waters, it provided a rare opportunity for Guyanese to have a first-grade standard of living in the very near-term future; if only our political leaders obtained a contract with a reasonable and fair Royalty of 15%.
However, as our politicians cower to Exxon, it is vitally important that our keen and sharp-eyed columnists stay the course and uncover and expose the Exxon/Guyana oil deal for what it is; a putrid and diabolical agreement that amounts to interminable robbery in its current form, which has compromised our political parties and defanged, if not muted some of our leading columnists.
Imagine Guyanese writing that they are bamboozled, bewildered or baffled by the insane frequency of the condemnation of hate threatening Guyana. Alternatively, Guyanese writers stating that they are a tad tired with the wailing Jeremiahs or persons that complain continually, irritatingly and annoyingly about the persecution-type investigations being carried out by SOCU and SARA.
In our fragmented Guyanese culture, the condemnation of hate will lead to more hating; while the use of SOCU and SARA now epitomises vendetta politics.
The hate referenced is really the political divide being easily twitted out on social media by some who cannot see beyond race, and is consistent with the race-based nature of our two major parties. This will never end until we have party leaders that are willing to structure their party in a manner that is effectively multiracial. Unfortunately, our political leaders only pay lip-service to uniting the racial divide.
Where is President Granger or Opposition Leader Jagdeo on record, committing and insisting that Guyana obtain a Royalty in the range of 10-20%.
Truth be told; in our political structure, such positive change will only come when the office holder of the Executive Presidency of Guyana has the courage and wisdom to build a party structure that is invulnerable to the malady of racial domination within our two major political parties and between these political parties.
Why are certain Guyanese not fit and proper to be the leader of PPP? Why are certain Guyanese not fit and proper to be the leader of the PNC? Yet each party leader, hollers from Corriverton to Mount Roraima that their party is multiracial. It’s akin to saying man has landed on the Sun! Pure poppycock.
Nigel Hinds