Dear Editor,

THE current ecological concerns in Mazaruni, the gold industry’s cyanide spill of the recent past, the high level of bauxite industry polution in Linden and the opening of the oil industry all beg the question: “Are we capable and ready for ecotourism.”

Lack of consistency in governments’ (current and past) ability to deal with the prevention of pollution and lasting disruption to the ecosystem of Guyana, make it dificult to give full confidence in the nation’s future oil industry’s ability to prevent a serious natural disaster, much so in the case of the usage of an island to process the oil. The ministry in Guyana that deals with such environmental protection issues should not be incapable of preventing these serious disasters from happening in industries such as gold and bauxite that have been the bedrock of our growth for over 20 years.

However, the evidence shows otherwise. The populace of the country must demand a high level of accountability for such failures to monitor, protect and prevent environmental disasters. The attitude of just show me the money and turning a blind eye on the bad and unhealthy practices of those we do business with will not help us attain our goals of a green economy that is sustainable, but instead hinder and in some cases send the nation backwards in its development. A holistic approach to economic development and the sustaining of the environment must be at the core of our decision-making and economic development. It is not profitable for any nation to neglect the environment as it retrieves natural resources, as most of the profit could be easily compromised in a major clean-up.

If ecotourism is a core objective as promoted and as illustrated in the land we have dedicated as a national reserve, then why are we not aligning our efforts to support this vision? This is a question that should be addressed in the activities being pursued and supported by the national budget each year. Private and public investments are trying to support and be consistent with the national purpose as outlined by the incumbent and past administrations. Investments, both local and foreign, will be impacted by the level of confidence that investors have in our ability to stick with and achieve our outlined goals and vision for the country. Today, to regain such confidence, clear and effective action with measurable outcomes are needed in the resolution of the environmental problems that have been created.

Best regards,

Jamil Changlee