THE day I quit my job at the world’s top investment bank my boss’ boss’ boss pulled me into a meeting room and asked if there was anything he could do to make me stay. There wasn’t. I think that was the moment, the literal moment that wanting to move back and help my country became actually stepping up and doing it.

I was scared then, as anyone would be, but I believed enough in Guyana to make the leap. I recognised then the importance of this moment in Guyana, this critical moment, and knew I had to return. I am not the only one who sees how much this time really matters for Guyana’s future.

As I listen to the furious back-and-forth about the coming oil industry, however, some of these arguments sound all too familiar. “Oil will not bring progress” they say. “Guyanese don’t know what they’re doing” they say. That’s one step away from “Moving back home will be a big mistake,” which I’ve heard from the moment I left to study in the United States. I don’t know how you feel, but I’ve had enough of listening to people who are, to be frank, scared of the future.

Fear, not anger, is what is driving the national oil debate today. We can’t blame the PPP/C any more than the coalition, because both sides have worked closely with Exxon, and we can’t blame Exxon, because at the end of the day, they’re just operating like any business would. So who exactly are we Guyanese angry with? Ourselves? No, I believe that all this emotion is really just fear that we won’t make the best of this bright opportunity.

It’s an almost hysterical cry for a future different than our aching past, and I can appreciate that.
In a way it’s like Napoleon once said: “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” But Guyanese — especially young Guyanese — need to move beyond the fear that is now paralyzing us.

We need to recognise that these are the days that will define the rest of our lives, even our country’s long-term development, and we need to seize this moment. We cannot allow ourselves to be stunned into inaction, because there is so much to do if we want to ensure our future and our children’s future.

Young people must now work closely with elder generations, guided by their wisdom and respectful of their experience. But we know that their role can’t be to come up with the innovative ideas we crave, because these generations lack the requisite skills and knowledge. That’s not to say efforts to learn about advances in technology aren’t being made, but I think we can all acknowledge young people’s greater proximity to these constantly changing innovations.

I also sometimes wonder if Guyanese really grasp that there are probably going to be at least 13 wells in the Stabroek block alone, or that Exxon’s 500,000 barrel-a-day target is more than twice Trinidad and Tobago’s highest-ever production. Do we realise that between 2020 and 2025 there will be at least 1.5 billion USD in oil revenue for the government? And all this is the very minimum we will ever receive as production will continue to grow and grow!

I fully appreciate the importance of thoroughly debating the terms of any national resource contracts, but am also keenly aware that as of yet we have hardly any concrete plans on how to actually manage this huge surge of revenue. Wasting oil revenue because we are unprepared when the tap begins to flow is simply unacceptable.

And so I am calling on young people to refocus, to pull together and begin believing in our future. Youth leadership is beginning to discuss critical issues such as what to do about the University of Guyana and whether we should establish a specialised youth bank to fund innovation, basic scientific research and artistic projects. What are the other areas we should be focusing on?

Some structures are thus slowly beginning to take shape, but as this must be a collective project I am calling on my peers to begin brainstorming. If there was ever a time to strive for progress, that time is now. I know that if we put the right ideas together, work with our elders and then advocate for these, they can form the cornerstones of a truly phenomenal future.

Young people have been relatively quiet during the oil-and-gas debate, but we will slowly, steadily, mightily make our voices heard. I want to end with a message of hope and courage, because that is what seems to be missing from the current national narrative. I believe in this country– not just in its potential — but its people.

I believe in our youth — not just in their potential — but their character. And I believe in our future — not just in its potential — but what Guyana will be. Maybe that makes me a brave fool, but that’s miles better than being paralyzed by fear.