The city parking meters galvanised the people of Georgetown. Irrespective of race or political party, they came out to protest against the implementation of the meters. The major newspapers in Guyana covered the protests, giving nationwide visibility to the issue. The pressure was sufficient to get the meters removed. The debacle turned the passion in Guyanese into action. It demonstrated two fundamental rights that Guyanese currently take for granted: the right to gather and protest and, the freedom of the press.
The parking meter issue is one where the average Guyanese, who can ill afford another expense, slapped the hand trying to take the few cents out of their pockets. But, in a few years, those pockets could potentially be overflowing where a few cents may not matter.
The major newspapers in Guyana have been doing a commendable job constantly pointing out the major flaws in the oil contracts. Guyanese are starting to wake up to the fact that we are being pillaged.
At some point, the majority of Guyanese citizens will realise they are being short-changed by the oil contracts. They will demand a fair contract that includes changes such as a better royalty rate and more environmental protections. The Guyanese public may decide we need to protest on a much grander scale than we did on the parking meter issue.
But what if those protests in the streets can easily be squashed before they get started? And, could press coverage cease on the atrocious oil contracts because newspapers reporters are harassed when they try to meet with organisers calling for a fair contract?
A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that African governments are using Huawei equipment and technicians to spy on political opponents. Bloggers supporting the opposition in Zambia, a democratic country, are being tracked and arrested. But it is not just the opposition in Zambia that is being tracked, journalists are also targeted. This is a move in the wrong direction for the people of Zambia, a country which was a stable and permissive democracy. Is Guyana on the same track with the rollout of the Huawei facial recognition system?
The WSJ report reveals a sophisticated system for tracking where facial recognition and monitoring of WhatsApp messages are used to track dissenters. The spying involves not only using Huawei equipment but Huawei employees help governments in the day-to-day spying operations. This obviously gives Huawei insight into sensitive operations of the respective governments. A video that touches on part of the report can be found here, https://www.wsj.com/video/wsj-investigation-huawei-staff-help-governments-to-spy-on-people/0CE986A8-9975-4CB6-BB9C-031A24540E93.html
A couple of weeks ago, in my letter to the press, I asked if by using the Huawei system, we are ceding control to a foreign power. There was no response from the Government of Guyana (GoG) to the many questions I raised in that letter. After reading the WSJ journal article, I have additional questions on what other types of spying capabilities did the GoG obtain from Huawei. Does the GoG now have the ability to install rogue apps on smartphones to spy on WhatsApp messages and is it able to live trace the mobile phones of Guyanese? Are there Huawei employees in Georgetown reading the text messages of Guyanese reporters?
The WSJ interviewed Steven Feldstein, an expert in digital surveillance, for their investigation. He makes this comment, “The big question has been whether Chinese companies are just in this for the money, or whether they’re pushing a specific kind of surveillance agenda.” He suggests the latter. His comments should make every Guyanese question if the future is one where our citizens cannot protest freely and contentious reports in our widely read newspapers are stifled. Were the parking meter protests one of the last triumphs for Guyanese citizens demonstrating their rights? Are we destined for a future where our voices cannot be heard in the streets and the press?
The GoG is currently deploying a facial recognition system from Huawei. What are the intentions of Huawei and the GoG for this system? And, are they aligned? Recall, that CNOOC, a Chinese oil company has rights to the Stabroek Block. That block contains at least six billion barrels of oil worth about US$300 billion at US$50 a barrel.
Dr Jan Mangal, the former adviser to the president on petroleum, has suggested that we are losing US$60 to $120 billion on the Stabroek contract. If we recoup our loss, then one of the big losers will be CNOOC. That amount of money is not pocket change even for a powerful country like China. There are a number of Chinese laws which mandate that Chinese organisations, if requested, must comply with intelligence work. Would China instruct Huawei to help quell any Guyanese dissent on the oil contracts?
Yours faithfully,
Darshanand Khusial
