Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:25 AM
Jul 29, 2018 News
By Leonard Gildarie
Canada has been facing a major shortage of professionals. From carpenters to accountants, that country has been seeking to attract qualified persons to boost its capacity.
Scores of Guyanese have grabbed the opportunities under the self-sponsorship programmes, where you also have to show some financial means. I know of friends and families who latched on to the opportunities and have made a life for themselves.
There is nothing wrong in a country doing what it should to protect itself.
What I am about to say will spark some disagreements. While the US president, Donald Trump was campaigning for his run to the presidency, he spoke of making American great again. He spoke about the inner city problems. He spoke about the whites and their complaints of being sidelined. He also vowed to pull out the stops to level the playing field for US companies.
He is doing exactly that now and a great many are unhappy. The boat is being rocked so hard that things are falling overboard for Trump.
As a businessman, Trump understood too well the challenges of the corporate world and the geo-political situation around the globe. What he has failed to do is take the time to understand the deep resentment from his own people for the changes.
In the past, before 2015 – the year which will go down in history as when Guyanese discovered oil – we were not too worried about highly skilled workers.
In fact, migration has seen what has been a major brain drain. We were chugging slowly along, with a diversified small economy and borrowing helping us survive.
Compared to our neighbours, I daresay we have managed to escape the scalding global commodity prices for oil which fell, leaving Venezuela and Trinidad, in the region, in a hole where it will be difficult to climb out of.
I recently read LIAT introducing Trinidad flights. American Airlines is about to embark on a Miami-Timehri flight too, later this year. Pegasus and Marriott are doing brisk business.
There is an oily smell in the air to capitalize on the biggest find in this part of the hemisphere for a while. We are thinking of heading to about 750,000 barrels of oil daily by 2025.
ExxonMobil is likely to further revise upwards the 4B barrels of oil estimated in its concessions.
So where are we going to find the people from?
We are training our people, but the specific realities will force us in the interim to bring the experts from overseas.
In the meantime, we have to start encouraging or even incentivizing our learning institutions to introduce programmes consistent with what will be required.
In recent weeks, we have been reading about a developing situation in Region One.
Scores of Venezuelans have fled to Guyana, and are in Region One, holed up in difficult circumstances. The authorities have taken supplies, including food and cleaning materials to them.
As a country, we have to respect human rights and if we intend to move to the level of developed countries, we must learn compassion. However, we have to be watchful of the Venezuela situation and by extension, the influx of persons for oil.
Frankly, I am worried. We don’t not have the resources to deal with illegal migration.
I heard one sarcastic person this week insisting that even if we do have the resources, our people will still take some money on the side to turn a blind eye. It is therefore important that we start thinking quickly, and pass the necessary legislation to have us capitalize.
We will need people. The rice millers are saying so. The sugar industry will also demand younger blood, when an investor is found.
Countries like the US and Canada and even St. Maarten have introduced tough control systems in place to deal with the migration issue.
If you want to visit the US and don’t have a visa, it is not too hard to fill out the application.
It will cost you about US$160 to process the application. It will not guarantee you will be approved.
If a family wants to migrate and have gone through the rigorous background checks it will also be required to pay fees too.
We are sitting on a potential gold mine or oil field to not only streamline our systems, but to make some money that will help pay for the monitoring and tracking of persons in our country.
ExxonMobil and its local operating company will be bringing people to Guyana.
So too will companies like Trinidad’s Schlumberger and others. How much does it cost us to process the paperwork? How do we monitor?
Government is now talking about registering the Venezuelans to track them. They will likely remain in Guyana. Will they become naturalized Guyanese? Do we place them through the same process as workers that are coming in?
It is a fact that taking a walk along Regent Street and Robb Street will open your eyes how much Guyana has changed.
In every village, there is a Chinese supermarket. In every store, somebody or the other is speaking Spanish. There are countless foreigners working here. My information tells me that less than half have filed their paperwork. There is an opportunity here for us.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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