Guyana has 29 years to make that gigantic leap into the future
As I see it, we are on the cusp of another ‘New Age.’ In the past, mankind experienced several Ages of Change; from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages to the Golden, Enlightenment, Space, Information and Digital Ages, among others. Cast in the context of the development of human society, mankind has lived through the primitive, slave, feudal and capitalist socio-economic formations and in some countries like China, Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea, the socialist society.
Whatever the New Age that beckons, it is fraught with uncertainties and known unknowns. What we know for certain is that the digital age has opened up unimaginable prospects and has influenced almost every sphere of human endeavour. The commercialization of outer space, the application of artificial intelligence to health care, data security and finance, the introduction of drones for agricultural, military and other purposes as well as the rapid production and utilization of electric motor vehicles are just a few examples of the signs of the changing times in which we live.
Only recently, a letter writer in the 14th September edition of SN under the Head; ‘The Ministry of Home Affairs should certify users of these electric bikes ‘ drew attention to the presence of thousands of electric bikes on our roadways. On top of this, there are approximately 30 to 40 electric, zero emission motor vehicles on our roadways. These are small but significant indicators that changes of immense proportions are creeping up on us. While alarm bells toll unceasingly, signifying that the coming changes would impact dramatically our day to day lives, in our midst, are those who find the alarm bells annoying and have opted to be tone deaf. To them, respect for basic human rights, overcoming poverty, securing a job, education and earning more than one dollar per day are the things that matter. The COVID 19 pandemic has imposed changes upon our lifestyle that could prove irreversible. We have been called upon to rethink things and be creative. To challenge ourselves and assume new individual and collective responsibilities.
The other worrisome change factor is climatic. It has long been established that with its accompanying and predictable impact, climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. On both fronts, conspiracy theories abound. The lists chronicling such theories are endless. In the case of COVID 19, as the virus mutates and produces more and more variants the conspiracy theorists will be under self-imposed pressure to work even harder. The My Body, My Choice ‘campaign mounted by the ‘antivaxists,’ rests on a platform of individual and personal liberty. The non-conformists refuse to see the bigger picture that captures Martin Carter’s warning: ‘All are involved, All are consumed.’ And President Kennedy’s famous words; “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” is relevant today as it was in 1961 when, in his inaugural address he stressed the importance of civic action and public service for the common good.
Ironical as it might seem, those who oppose being vaccinated are products of liberal thinking and behaviour. They are products of a socio-economic system that encourages the pursuit of self-interest or the atomized individual who negates any sense of societal obligation and civic duty. By exercising a greater sense of patience, tolerance and persuasion, it is hoped that those who still harbour doubts about being vaccinated will overcome their reservations and reflect on the words of the hymn; ‘Oh the bitter shame and sorrow’ and move from ‘None of self, and all of thee.’ In this regard, the philosophical question of individual rights versus collective rights; which takes precedence and the role of the State has returned to haunt us once more. Placed in the context of present-day reality, Martin Carter’s words bring into sharp focus where the real threat lies and what is necessary under any circumstance to resolve the ‘Them and US’ mentality the pandemic has brought upon us.
To vaccinate or not vaccinate, has ballooned into a social issue that has resulted in polarization and social segregation in the same way the controversies concerning abortion, the death penalty and the legalization of marijuana did. From an economic standpoint there appears to be a dialectical interconnection and interaction between the impacts of the pandemic with that of climate change. In the midst of all the back and forth there is an even bigger challenge that countries like Guyana must face; how to rapidly and evenhandedly utilize its natural resources for the benefit of all Guyanese at a time when medical science on the one hand and scientific innovation on the other have raised the bar posing a serious threat to accelerated national development. A time frame of year 2050 has been established by which time Guyana as a major producer of oil and gas should be ready to enter the decarbonized world. As the argument goes, come 2050, whatever is left of our oil and gas it must remain in the ground. Within the meaning of the established timeframe, Guyana has 29 years to realize whatever transformative economic and social goals it has set itself before the cap is put on any further exploitation of its fossil fuel potential. It has become a race against time.
Compounding the situation is the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. The preoccupation by many governments is how avoid future lockdowns and to keep their economies buoyant and open; to intensify the vaccination process, reduce significantly the number of unvaccinated while keeping fatalities and infections rates down. The development agenda is now a national priority. But inherent in that agenda are numerous developmental challenges. Bauxite and sugar had their day. We have no control
over the price for gold. The productive and extractive industries did bring some degree of economic and social development but owing to strangulating external factors their future expansion and development were throttled. As a consequence, the country’s dependence on export-led growth based on primary products made little headway. Already the industrialized nations in the G7 have reached a level of development that represent 46% of Gross Domestic Product globally based on nominal values and comprise more than 60% of global net wealth for a total of $317 trillion. On the pandemic front, some countries are already talking about administering ‘Booster Shots’ to fight off the virus at a time when, in terms of percentage of population, only 1.1% of people in living in poor countries have not received a single shot of any vaccine. In the meanwhile, 84% of doses administered globally have all gone to people in high and upper middle income countries. Herein lies the uneven nature of development at the global level.
While industrialized nations got a head start spanning decades, countries like Guyana who have just discovered oil and whose economies are on the upswing now face the twin hurdle of reaching a climate change target while tempering the ravages of the pandemic. Guyana has the next 29 years to make that long awaited gigantic leap into the future with Guyanese at the center of their country’s development. Can we do it? Yes we can!
Sincerely, Clement J. Rohee