From November 9, 2022, Guyanese visiting the United Kingdom for less than 180 days can do so visa-free. The announcement has been welcomed by a wide cross-section of the Guyanese populace with many viewing the move as an expression of England’s confidence in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)’s governance of the South American nation.
However, that view is not shared by the country’s Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, who, during a press conference today, said that England is merely looking out for its own interest, given that Guyana is in transition to become a major oil-producing powerhouse.
“It is true that there is confidence. There is confidence because we are a nation that is taking off in terms of oil and gas, and any country – any developed country – would want to be part and parcel of that process. If they (the UK) think making it visa-free will contribute, they will. The British, clearly, is pursuing its own interest, and if there is a confluence of the interest of the British in Guyana at this time, nothing is wrong. That, however, does not translate into confidence in the governance of this country. No one has confidence in the governance of this country,” Norton emphasised.
The Opposition Leader went on to quote from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report in which he said questions were raised by the organisation about the government’s ability to manage the oil and gas resources amid the potential emergence of the Dutch Disease.
“So, do not make links that are not necessarily linkable,” Norton declared.
