AFRICA, particularly West Africa, and India have been the territories which have largely peopled Guyana together with the Amerindian peoples.

Owing to this historic contact, Guyanese find it easy to deal with people from those continents and they in turn, find Guyanese easy with whom to have rapport. Therefore, when Mr Satya Paal Singh, a Minister from the Government of India paid us a four-day visit last week, we embraced him with friendliness and goodwill. Mr Singh had a fruitful four-day visit and was able to meet the diaspora at the Pegasus Hotel and spoke with the leaders of government and the opposition, having useful and enlightening exchanges.

But the highlight of his visit was his meeting with President Granger. At that meeting, many matters of importance to Guyana, especially economic, were discussed. President Granger took the opportunity of opening the discussions with the sugar industry. He pointed out that the industry was still innately profitable but it needed injections of capital and upgrading of its technology. Guyana possesses many pluses for an investor, one of them being it has a skilled and able labour force that could immediately go into production. The President iterated that Guyana was open to cooperation with the Indian Government in every aspect of the Industry and also welcomed investors from India, not only in sugar but in all other fields.

India is the largest sugar producer in the world and Indian companies have invested in other countries, for example, in neighbouring Brazil. Indian entrepreneurs are fully au fait with all aspects of the industry and could certainly help us in marketing, an area where for generations we have depended upon the British and European markets to our detriment. It should be mentioned that India has developed on its own a number of new sugar technologies which they would be able to put at our disposal. President Granger then went on to remark: “We are happy to be able to contemplate co-operation with the Republic of India, particularly in the area of technology…our relations are very deep and wide and collaborating on environmental issues and energy development are very, very important to us at this time. Guyana can learn a lot from India.”

Minister Singh responded that India is very happy to assist Guyana in this field, noting that they have accumulated considerable experience and have even developed technologies in harnessing solar, hydro and wind power. The Minister also spoke of the possibility of India helping Guyana to strengthen its security sector by offering training in forensic science and of police officers. President Granger responded that this is an area where Guyana could benefit significantly.

As a former colony, Guyana, like the rest of the West Indies, was indoctrinated to think that the Mother Country Britain and Europe were the pinnacle of human civilsation and were the only examples worthy of emulation. And at Independence, when the West (including the United States) began to offer “developmental aid” of many kinds, as colonials we felt it was almost a divine blessing.

At this time, India and China, two enormous ancient countries, had freed themselves from Western interference and had again achieved equilibrial conditions so that they could embark upon national development. Their growth and development were very rapid and they achieved surpluses. They also began to offer assistance to poorer countries and though such aid was more altruistic than former Western aid, Guyanese and West Indians felt that Western assistance was preferable.

Today, the situation has changed and the West itself now goes to the East in search of wealth as they did in the times of Columbus and Vasco da Gama, and even to get certain technologies from Japan. Now, Guyanese are very appreciative to be offered Indian and Chinese assistance and are beginning to seek after it. Minister Satya Paal Singh kept strictly to his portfolio but his visit also had a foreign policy dimension. Guyana for many years has had to suffer a baseless border claim for most of its territory and having a friend like India would certainly be an asset. India is a very influential country internationally and throwing their support behind us would be of much advantage. It could also help to stiffen the Commonwealthís support for Guyana since India has nine-tenths of the Commonwealth’s population and a great deal of its territory. Minister Satya Paal Singh’s visit was far more than a routine one-he has further strengthened our much valued friendship with India; important economic issues were raised including the possible revivification of the sugar industry; and there could be positive foreign policy reverberations from it.