Dear Editor,
I WRITE in response to Arthur Deakin’s claim “…that Guyana…needs the participation of an independent and international body in the monitoring of these [NRF]funds to ensure appropriate and transparent spending of the revenues.” Mr Deakin is the Director of Energy Practice at American Market Intelligence, a Florida-based outfit. His concern is that the executive branch of the GoG has too many ties to those bodies and individuals responsible for drawing on the funds from the NRF. Mr Deakin does not appear to know that Guyana is an independent country and has full national sovereignty. The suggestion is not only without merit, but it is also disrespectful.

If we follow this advice, then Deakin wants us to minimise the role of, if not altogether bypass, the Board of Directors of the NRF, the Public Accountability and Oversight Committee, and the Investment Committee. In effect, we are asked to question the judgement and integrity of some of the most accomplished citizens in this country, including Major-General (ret’d) Joseph Singh, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues, Professor Compton Bourne, Dunstan Barrow, Ramesh Dookoo of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Clement Sealey, Wendell Jeffery, Abu Zaman, Ryan Alexander, Dawn Gardener, Aslim Singh, Teni Housty, Desmond Sears, Savitri Balbahadur, Shaleeza Shaw, Michael Munroe, Richard Rambarran and Lauris Hukumchand.

And then what about Cabinet ministers, the Prime Minister, Vice-President, and President Ali? Mr. Deakin should recognise that accountability and transparency are invariably tied to those who have been democratically elected. No international body would have the type of legitimacy to come here and dictate how our resources should be used for national development. The most effective and important consultation is for the Government of Guyana to consult the people of this country.

Technical advice on how to make use of our resources for budgetary support could always be sought from a plethora of experts available both locally and internationally.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Randy Persaud