Dear Editor,
There has been much talk lately about the poverty level in oil rich Guyana, and of course there have been denials on the part of the government, using the widespread infrastructural boom as evidence that Guyana is on a runaway developmental trajectory and that poverty is on the decline.
But the fact of the matter remains that it is still quite difficult for the poor and the marginalized in Guyanese society to get a foothold in this so-called development. Take for example government contracts. There are many persons currently in Guyana, who can provide catering, construction and transportation services, just to mention a few services. But barriers remain. To bid for a contract, one must have a Business Registration, a GRA Compliance Certificate and a NIS Compliance Certificate. Without these, people who may have the requisite skill set, are effectively shut out of the procurement process.
Take this hypothetical scenario for example. I am a farmer from a remote landlocked village in Region 9 or Region 8, and I have a farm and I sell my produce in my village. Then, an opportunity arises where the Regional Democratic Council needs a contractor to provide vegetables and produce for a dormitory in my Region. And I am interested. But of course, the process to get a Business Registration, a GRA Compliance and a NIS Compliance is exceedingly difficult and there is no one from any of these agencies nearby to assist me with the paperwork. I would therefore have to travel great distances and at great costs to access a Regional Office and most likely not get through because the system is designed in a way to make things difficult for the poor. So, in reality, I am consigned to selling my produce in my village till I die, and resigned to the fact that I can never break the cycle of poverty that I am caught in. And to rub salt into the wound, I then see Ministers of Government and local officials accumulating mind boggling wealth at a dizzying rate, and I feel angry and frustrated and helpless, knowing that I would have voted for the party in power but cannot seem to catch a lucky break.
This exact scenario is playing out in countless villages and towns across the country. Many honest, hardworking Guyanese, unfortunate not to know someone in power, are shut out from playing a part in the country’s development thus consigning them to a life of struggles, and hardship. The onus therefore is on the government to decentralize services and bring them to the people. Make access to business opportunities easier for the ordinary Guyanese citizen! Help them to meet the legal eligibility requirements! Build capacities of local people! Outreaches should be done regularly, not only on the coast but in the hinterland as well. Reduce the bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for ordinary Guyanese to be a part of the nation’s development. Frustration is rising, and the ordinary man on the ground is feeling the heat as the cost of living spirals out of control. The 2030 General and Regional elections may seem like an eternity away but it’s not! And an angry, hungry man may not vote as expected!