ALEXANDER the Great once said, “Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.” And indeed, if we do not collectively strive, Guyana will remain much the same.

What is most telling about this quote, however, is that it highlights Alexander’s desire to have his followers adopt a particular collective attitude. This is the purpose of what military historian John Keegan describes as a leader’s Mask of Command.

This mask, or public face presented, varies from leader to leader, and indeed administration to administration, depending on their intentions. The present administration, it seems, has adopted one that strives to largely be above the political fray, in order to reinforce the idea that law and order, not just political authority, should reign in Guyana.
But this leaves a bit of a gap between them and those of us paying attention to their actions and policies. We can readily enough see what they’re doing, but they don’t as often explain why.

This column will attempt, in a way, to unmask the true nature, not just of government policy but political debate locally and, where relevant, internationally.
Contextualising and clarifying what exactly is going on is critical, if the public is to make informed decisions, no matter whom they support.

Even further, without clarity, how are we to even identify the most impactful policies, laws and their criticisms? As an example, mot much is being said about Guyana’s coming off of the European Union’s money-laundering blacklist, even though just this week, Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge addressed it.

Why is it important for Guyana to not be blacklisted for allowing money-laundering locally? One local real estate agent expressed the view that his business has slowed down because such types of legislation discourages buying largesse, and how Guyanese have often cried out that the drug economy was propping us up.

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PRE, POST-OIL GUYANA
But we must distinguish between pre and post-oil Guyana, because the two are entirely different animals.

In pre-oil Guyana, the argument was that since our growth prospects were dim, we should turn a blind eye. But post-oil Guyana’s growth prospects are not dim at all, and we need to make every effort to maximise this opportunity. Being on financial blacklists will restrict our ability to do business internationally, and therefore local entrepreneurs’ ability to grow their businesses in a supportive post-oil environment. It undermines the entire national development mission.

Similarly, the effort to improve tax-collection processes and related enforcement is also geared towards this new oil economy. Given that our national governance approach favours the public provision of social goods such as healthcare, retirement benefits and education, most Guyanese can only expect changes in these sectors through government allocation.
And since budgetary allocations are primarily funded by taxes, as businesses in the oil economy grow, we can expect government spending in these sectors to grow, provided that tax collection is efficient and enforced.

Some might argue that we can pay for these improvements directly from oil revenues, but not only have we as a nation not collectively made that decision; do we really want fundamental services such as education and healthcare to be totally dependent on unstable oil prices? Or would we rather they draw their revenue from a broader, more stable base such as taxation?

ROBUST TAX REGIME
Further, a robust tax regime will also allow us to better account for revenue, and thereby more efficiently make use of funds. By not letting taxes “slip through the cracks”, we can ensure that resources are used in the specific areas we think most important to national development and citizens’ well-being.

What has perhaps been unclear, is that the administration is getting our collective house in order. This is the deep breath before the dive: The plunge, the immersion in oil. And like all deep breaths, there is tension.

But storing oxygen now will mean a deeper dive then, so there is considerable reason to be optimistic that this approach will pay off. Across the government, these efforts are being made; the cleanup at the Guyana Revenue Authority being but one example, as we prepare to totally change the dynamics of our economy.

Thus, the administration’s Mask of Command will remain firmly in place, a standing nod toward the focus on necessary order in a country that had arguably been far too chaotic. As Alexander famously said, upon this depends “the fate of all.”

(Elson Low studied political science and economics at the Amherst College, in Massachusetts, before going on to work at the world’s premier financial firm, Goldman Sachs and Co. He also interned for a political think tank in Washington D.C., Campaign for Our Future, and co-founded a local non-profit, The Benab Foundation. Further, Elson has done research on the technology industry at Stanford University, and throughout Silicon Valley.)