THE history of the cooperative economy is tied to the empowerment of the small man and woman. This form of economic approach was applied in the immediate post slavery society by the freed in pursuit of their upliftment and has proven to serve others well when applied.Immediate post slavery society saw persons coming together in unified purposes. There has been the purchasing of plantations which were converted to villages and managed on a system of self-sufficiency known as the Village Economy. Villages and economies across the coastland have been developed on the cooperative principle, of which infrastructures remain as proof of capacity to overcome and capabilities to achieve. There are schools, churches, village councils, markets, a system of local government, etc. Families have invested and acquired material and other commodities.

Then there is the box-hand which is a subset of the cooperative principle. With this smaller group coming together in pooling small amount of money, that cumulatively is significant, and works towards achieving specific goal(s).

The principle of cooperative, while it may not be overtly active and widespread as it ought to be, has never left Guyana. Its premium of place is evident in the name of this country, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and as one of our tri-sector economy- private, public and cooperative. Though admittedly within recent times the sector has to some extent been downplayed, the time may be now to revisit this decision, which was made by a previous administration.

Regardless of the justification given why this aspect of our economy was downplayed, what cannot be denied are the consequences that have flowed from the decision. The disinvestment in resources-technical and others- and by extension the economic pursuit of a section of society, affected the chances and pursuits of the small man to economic advancement.

Where the other two sectors-private and public – have pursued specific interests, the cooperative sector allows for a thriving cottage industry. Admirable aspects of this type of economy are the sense of sufficiency and desire to overcome. These remain vital and important elements in the desire to be emancipated and empowered, and such must be nurtured not suppressed.

The drive of the Green Economy by APNU+AFC administration where Sustainable Development forms part of the triad focus, giving the cooperative sector its deserving space and support to thrive,  opens for greater exploitation of our indigenous resources. Flowing from this, in addition to seeing the realisation of national growth and development, would see the enhancement of employment and economic opportunities, directly and indirectly.

There are areas in the country such as the fishing industry and credit union that were formed on the cooperative principles.  The credit union provides easy access to loans for the small man who, normally the commercial bank will not facilitate. Wild raised and organic seafood is catching on in a world that is becoming health conscious. Taste is also changing to healthy foods, which can be produced through shade houses and other forms, using organic manure.  The best place for these to be realised are creating opportunities in the villages.

Though specific statistics on unemployment in the villages are not easily available, it is known that persons leave the village for lack of opportunities and migrate to the city. And while this is done with the intent to find job opportunities, where little or none exist, it puts pressure on city’s infrastructures; create space for exploitative landlords and employers, and other anti-social features. A congested city, where population growth is unplanned for, can ill afford these characteristics.

Outside of stemming unplanned movement and the tussle for the limited available opportunities, in sustainable pursuit development seeks to be equitable and widely dispersed. And where the cooperative sector which was built on the principle of having to rely on teamwork to get things done, such should not be suppressed but encouraged.

The development of society in today’s world is being judged by the development of its people. A nation as ours, with so many resources and in the presence of high unemployment and limited economic opportunities, needs to have all its economic sectors operating at full throttle.