GuyExpo Displays Guyanese Entrepreneurial Spirit

by Peter R. Ramsaroop

The GuyExpo is over for another year. The booths have been packed up, the food has all been eaten and the vendors have all gone home. There can be no doubt that this Expo was a success. The business owners of our country were on proud display – and we certainly shined. With future changes in our investment climate such as tax free zones and cutting of the red tape, we will see this exhibition flourishing with thriving small and large businesses in both the domestic and international arena.

Giving credit where credit is due, the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Commerce, Hon. Manzoor Nadir and staff should be recognised for a smoothly operated GuyExpo and for the professionalism that accompanied the entire event. The adeptness embodied by this team alone was enough to make any Guyanese proud, but there was so much more in which each of us could revel.

Families came out together in full force to support the businesses of Guyana. In return, the businesses endowed them with free paraphernalia to remember their experience. With music playing and lights dancing, we celebrated the Guyanese entrepreneurial spirit.

What was especially noticeable about this entire event was the obvious lack of racist politics. Public and private vendors, as well as the attendees, all mingled and supported one another without the usual casting of aspersions and assumptions of ill will. In fact, it was quite evident that we were there as a nation – One People, One Nation, One Destiny at least at this event.

It truly did seem as if we were actually sharing a destiny. It was as if for this brief moment in time we all understood that our futures were connected and that our lives were intertwined. Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese and Amerindians - as well as the rest of our ethnic pool - came together to display their businesses and to support others in their quest for financial success.

The event also brought businesses from the private sector in direct contact with each other, providing ample opportunities for networking. This is an important activity in such a small country because it allows the private sector to brainstorm on partnerships, bounce ideas off of each other and dream of a day when Guyana is economically stable. These rare occasions are when strategies are formed that could grow businesses, start new companies and create new jobs. This is a good example what can be achieved if we develop a broad macro and micro economic strategy for our nation what we can truly achieved.

One more very important aspect of the GuyExpo is that it brings the private sector within earshot of the public sector. Partisan politics were forgotten for just a few days as we all worked together for the good of Guyana - and it was so good. If we want to see our nation develop a strong and thriving economy, there will need to be a lot more of this type of activity and a lot less of politics as usual. We also noticed the public sector on display with supporting activities for the private sector but also saw that the public sector were also trying to compete with the private sector in areas of non-traditional agriculture sector and other government run sectors such as sugar. These are the remaining areas that must be changed immediately in order for our private sector to demonstrate that we are ready for the challenge.

All of the support and working together at this year’s GuyExpo made one point abundantly clear; we as Guyanese can easily work alongside each other without the racial politics. If the powers that be were at all intuitive, there would be a clear acknowledgment of the need to steer our government into a direction is wholly inclusive of every race and more representative of our national demography.

This event was truly insightful in many ways, but the most obvious revelation is that we are not as divided as the government would have us think. Certainly there may still be factions here and there, but the overall population works together each and every day without incident. We treat each other as equals and we respect each other as individuals – regardless of race.

There is no credible reason that our nation should still have a divided government, especially one that is divided by race. Were we divided on issues; we would be just like any other country in the world. Instead we are politically divided by race and forced to maintain this reprehensible positioning by two parties that really seem to have lost touch with the people and the fact that we have moved beyond these racial barriers in our everyday lives.

The feeling of celebration and merriment at the GuyExpo was intoxicating and long overdue for a people who incessantly struggle financially through even the most ordinary days. There needs to be additional events such as this to help boost the moral fabric of our society and to ensure that families have more places to go and spend time with their children.

This year’s GuyExpo demonstrated that when potential meets opportunity, there is a definite possibility for a dynamic reaction. The businesses of Guyana could actually feel the support of the consumers and the government. This is a notion that should continue throughout the year, especially where the government is concerned. The more businesses that are bolstered by the government, the more that will succeed and the stronger our economy will become.

However, we cannot stop at just the proffered support for national businesses. There needs to be a well-designed campaign to entice foreign investors to our shores as well. There is only so much money to pass around from one business to another in Guyana, but if we bring in money from other countries, then we all benefit from an influx of even more money.

When foreign investors come into a country, they hire locals to run the company – which means steady paying jobs for the citizens. These citizens then spend that money on utilities, food, clothes, entertainment, etc., which helps the bottom line of the national businesses. It also helps to curbs poverty and crime by cutting out the origin of these national woes – severe lack.

Guyana needs to concentrate even more on large macro foreign direct investments. Perhaps it would be a good strategy to start having an expo that would highlight foreign investors and potential foreign investors. This type of an event could pull in the serious entrepreneurs from outside of the country with the hope of keeping them around to invest into Guyana.

We should also ensure that the ever-abundant red tape that the President said he would cut is actually being slashed for national and foreign investors alike. If it is, then there are so many opportunities that are just around the corner for Guyana such as the bridge to Brazil, the new ethanol technology being provided and even possible oil reserves if the search proves to be successful.

If we can just translate the spirit of the GuyExpo into our everyday lives as consumers, businesspersons and public servants, it is clear that we have what it takes to make Guyana a country that will demand the attention of the world. The population now awaits the accountability of funds from the Expo and how and where the funds were spent.

Can we move beyond our sordid past to permanently embrace the spirit of the GuyExpo for the good of our country? Guyana, strong and proud Guyana, awaits our reply.