Pressing reset: All growth is not considered equal by Business Clinic Ltd.
Traditionally, communities in which multinational companies operate are referred to as ‘host communities’ or ‘fence-line communities.’ In Guayaguayare, this relationship vacillates between friendly, antagonistic and passive co-existence, maybe even a parasitic host of unequal partners. This relationship tango increases in tempo as the dichotomy between residents (activists) and companies (employees) serving competing interests often collide.
The recurring decimal of residents seeking ‘x’ and companies offering ‘y’ continues unabated, because employees cannot be expected to represent residents’ interests, nor can employees be the stewards of community development and patrimony. Too often with prevalent protest action in small communities, we begin to focus on the messengers and lose focus on the message. Personalities and personas begin to overshadow discussions, as the message loses potency, and the pleas of residents go unheard in an echo chamber, largely unaddressed, save for elements that the ‘powers-that-be’ deem attractive or easy to tackle. In so far as it concerns the resident (activist) – company (employee) – politician (state) dynamic, negotiations portend equality, but are more concerned with equilibrium. Give residents just enough to assuage discord and receive compliance, as the collective plight of residents is dismissed and the exodus of those who
seek opportunity elsewhere ignored. This isn’t yet another discourse of black gold becoming an oil curse for economies that are oil and gas dependent. The narrative is often evaluated by scholars and debated against a
historical backdrop, typically through the lens of oil and economic dysfunction (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, Venezuela). There are of course other oil-rich nations which perhaps do not fit the narrative – Norway and Canada – democratic regimes with a decision-making apparatus that empowers ordinary citizens, oil executives, institutions and the industry to question their historical dominance in the export of oil and gas.
In the wake of Norway’s recent refusal to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Artic, Norway’s government approved its USD$1trillion oil fund (the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund) to invest in renewable energy projects. Billions are expected to be spent on wind and solar power projects. Yet the decision to walk away from billions of barrels in oil was not a huge surprise. It is the latest indication that wealth accumulated through fossil fuels is being redirected towards future profits in renewable energy, and Norwegians are beginning to question their biggest export and source of wealth amid growing concerns over climate
change.
Closer to home, we recall the boom and bust years of oil in Trinidad and Tobago. Yet history has a way of changing, depending on who is telling it, and through the economic periods of development and depression, it seems many may have forgotten that the source of our fossil fuel wealth was discovered in Guayaguayare and extracted since 1902. The misnomer does not just lie in the nomenclature when politicians and spokespersons equate Guayaguayare’s demographics with its geographic topography and paint the area with a ‘broad brush’ as Mayaro. Arguably, the establishment of Galeota Point in Guayaguayare, as the go-to hub for
energy companies brought employment but not development. Indeed, the most neglected community in closest proximity to Galeota Point is Calmapas Village, Guayaguayare.
Since 1902, many companies (foreign and domestic) have set up offices in Guayaguayare and a lot has certainly been spent. Yet, if you listen to companies revere their CSR outreach and spend, it is clear the challenges confronting ordinary people on the ground either remain or are exacerbated. Many residents still live in squalor, and incest, crime, illiteracy and unemployment are standard variety issues unabated from decades ago. For those whom the system benefits, nobody wants to jeopardize lucrative business relationships by rocking the boat with truth.
Should those for whom the system benefits set themselves on fire to keep their neighbours warm? When it concerns creating value for shareholders, not all types of growth are equal, and even the largest companies must avoid bulking up on the business equivalent of empty calories through mergers and acquisitions. So too, different modes of growth are necessary for Guayaguayare. However, just as all types of growth are not equal, not all effort is created equal. There can be minimal effort (taking the easy choice); performance effort (excelling at what is required); ineffective effort (working hard with little result); effective effort (growth, learning and improving).
Therefore we do not just need effort in Guayaguayare. Effort can be seductive. We need smart growth, not growth that looks good initially but takes us down a dead end (no vision) or one that we cannot sustain (no resources). If we are truly seeking smart growth, start by protecting the land we occupy and which dredging activities have eroded, causing residents to abandon homes out of safety concerns. Build a retaining wall in Calmapas Village, Guayaguayare. Let’s press reset. We are way past the days of oil discovery and drilling. If it feels like we are not moving, this is sadly because everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else.
