Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 22, 2013 Editorial
Maybe it was coincidence that the end of the 24th Inter-Sessional meeting of Caricom fell on the same day that the Guyana-Brazil working group on infrastructural projects convened. But it was certainly serendipitous. The interminable ramblings of Caricom meetings over the last four decades appear to have reached a dead end. While the spirit may be willing as far as “Caribbean Unity’ is concerned, overweening ambitions have certainly made the flesh weak. We predict that the present ‘pause’ in the CSME target for 2015 will continue for quite awhile.
But the goal of a ‘common economy’ is not new. As far back as 1969, the eminent Caribbean economists, Brewster and Thomas, outlined in quite concrete terms, the way forward in integrating the region through specific economic ventures that took advantage of the comparative advantage of the individual territories. But the ‘dog in the manger’ syndrome of the leaders proved insurmountable and we are left with the annual meetings bemoaning their ‘financial hardships”, even as outside countries continue to use us as producers of primary products. They add value to these products and the rich get richer as the poor (us) get poorer.
While we are sure that there is enough blame to go around for our present plight, Guyana can hold its head up high when it comes to supporting regional integration – economic or otherwise. Apart from facilitating and supporting the Caricom Secretariat that is located here, we have always made our vast natural resources available to our Caricom brothers and sisters for development. Land for agricultural development at nominal lease terms to address the region’s food security was only the latest offer.
Most recently, T&T expressed some interest in the offer, but after a visit by their Minister of Agriculture, there has been hushed silence. In the meantime they continue flogging their dead horse of ‘mega farms’ initiated by their previous administration in the face of Guyana’s offer. We do suspect that the lack of movement of Guyana’s offers have more to do with counting the advantages that might accrue to Guyana rather than also considering their own benefits.
And we now come to the Guyana-Brazil talks. For years, this newspaper has been on record as encouraging closer economic relations with our giant neighbour to our south. Decades ago, our National Development Strategy (NDS) pointed out several Guyanese products that northern Brazil could use – notably rice and (surprisingly) sugar. Since then Brazil has moved to fill those product gaps, but there is still large scope for increased trade in these and other products.
The chief impediment to such trade was the overland route – which at that time was a glorified cattle trail called the Linden-Lethem road. The Brazilians had indicated an interest in paving that road since the seventies – even providing finance for it. Their interest was in securing a route to the North Atlantic for their products from Manaus. This meant continuing the road to Georgetown or/and Berbice with the addition of a deep-water harbour.
Since then the Brazilians, in the person of their former president Lula, have indicated their interest in developing our hydro-electric potential. They proposed the construction of a mega facility that would supply our electricity needs with the excess being exported to their northern region. At present, they are importing electricity from Venezuela’s Guri Dam. But for some inscrutable reason, our authorities have stubbornly dug in their heels against the road being completed – years after the Brazilians kept their promise and opened the Takutu Bridge.
We are very pleased that the Brazilians have now placed a timeline on their discussions: an agreement, if any, must be reached by June. Time and tide, we have been taught, wait for no man. The Brazilians have now found an alternative route through Suriname, which was not even in the picture when our bilateral discussions started. Guyanese of all political persuasions must make their voices heard: While continuing with Caricom, we must fulfil our continental destiny. Go south, Guyana!
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
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