Feb 10, 2019 – Columnists, My Column – Adam Harris
Today Guyana has oil. There is now talk about preserving the riches that should accrue from the discoveries made by ExxonMobil.
Yet a few short years ago, the oil would not have been Guyana’s. We seem to forget that foresight by a now dead leader has some people going wild and others being critical of decisions made so far with regard to the oil.
It was not so long ago that Guyana’s territorial limit extended a mere three miles offshore. That was the case when Guyana became independent. It was also so for many Caribbean countries, not least among them Trinidad and Barbados. Continue reading →
Guyana Politics: The sub-text we are witnessing is our Ethnic Dynamics – Dr. David Hinds
Guyana is not a mature democracy. After more than 50 years of independence, we have not reached the point where our political, partisan and ideological disagreements and conflicts are played out within the context of the rule of law, constitutional supremacy and protection of civil rights and liberties.
While factors such as the hyper authoritarian instincts of leaders thrown up by the political culture, the personalization of power and the paramountcy of the party are key to that outcome, it is our ethnic competition that ultimately stands in the way democratic maturity. It is not that democratic instincts do not exist in our political culture, but ultimately it is the authoritarian instinct that always wins.
In Guyana, democracy cannot be construed outside of our ethnic dynamics. Continue reading →
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