SINCE independence, Guyana has been drained of its population. Into the causes of this exodus we will not go, but from that time to now more Guyanese have left Guyana than those of us who are resident here. Though the Guyana diaspora could be found in the West Indian islands, Suriname and other Third World countries, the bulk of Guyanese immigrants found their way to the United States and Canada.

Everywhere they have gone, the Guyanese have proven themselves, as a group, model citizens. They are hard-working and a comparatively large proportion of them have secured higher education. Their children have equally been creative and successful citizens and have integrated into their host societies.

Guyana is now on the threshold of becoming among the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean with its evolution into an oil producer and exporter. Foreign companies are now beginning to come into the country and West Indians are beginning to settle here. The economy of the country would be expanding at a fairly rapid rate and there are opportunities for many new companies, both in the production and service fields.

The diaspora could be a rich source of talent for the oil business, in manufacturing and in a plethora of services. The in-gathering of our compatriots and their families could be as historic an event as the State of Israel’s vision of the in-gathering of the Jewish people. If we are able to attract a fair percentage of the diaspora to settle in Guyana, it would be a historic duty and achievement of the present generation of Guyanese.

It would have various spinoffs such as the repairing of the torn fabric of Guyanese culture, which was badly damaged by the massive emigration. It would be strengthening the Guyana element and ethos of the population, so as to be able to absorb the inevitable inflow of immigrants from various countries. France and the United States in the 19th century were able to achieve this ideal — maintaining the ethos and culture of the country, while at the same time receiving large numbers of immigrants.

Attracting the diaspora back to Guyana should not be left to chance. Certain positive steps have to be taken. In the first place, the Citizenship Laws need to be revised as so many countries with large diasporas have done. For instance, Guyana should review its laws to allow children and grandchildren of Guyanese-born citizens to register as Guyanese nationals enjoying all the privileges of Guyanese nationals. Such would include taking advantage of the lending institutions such as Go-Invest. Go-Invest and the business institutions and even the banks should be selling Guyana’s new opportunities to the diaspora.

Many Guyanese abroad may have sunk such deep roots in the countries where they have settled and even more so their children and grandchildren, that even though they may wish to return and take advantage of Guyana’s new economic prosperity, they would find it difficult to do so, since Guyana would in effect be a foreign country.

It is therefore necessary that the state authorities set up institutions both in the diaspora and in Guyana, where the process of adjusting to Guyanese life would be taught. In time, there could be schools where Guyanese children who would be returning to Guyana would be able to study for the local Caribbean examinations, much as the American school prepares children for the American examinations. Initially, however, compatriots who are returning may wish to have the best of both worlds by keeping one leg in their country of settlement and one in Guyana. There are two other urgent issues which must be addressed to further attract Guyanese settled abroad to return.

The first is that crime has to be minimised and with stringent effort this could be achieved. In this effort, the religious bodies — Hindu, Muslim and Christian, the Ministry of Education through the school system, the courts and the media in addition to the police will each have their roles to play.

The second issue is, there must be available health care of the highest quality. The general health services must be fully modernised. For example, the ambulances should be properly equipped with properly trained medexes and have oxygen and other first aid facilities and be able to answer calls with greater promptitude.