Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, 18:17 by Writer
by GHK Lall
Finally, a breath of air. Finally, a whiff of hope. The Germans are coming. To Wales. To operate and manage the 300-megawatt power plant. To give energy-starved Guyanese a boost. I have every confidence in the Germans. Recommend the same is cultivated by Guyanese, repeatedly misled and disappointed. I congratulate Prime Minister Mark Phillips and his erstwhile companions. Mr. Winston Brassington, Taskforce Field Marshal and Dr. Gopinath “Bob” Gossai, a bigshot at the Ministry of Oil and Gas. Now where did I hear that name, Bob Gossai before, and in what context? A nerve tingles.
I trust that General Phillips will not return to the rowdy and dismiss this as “noise.” There is bad noise, as in noise unlimited, the nuisance variety. Then, there is good noise, that which must reach the Guyanese people and inspire them. The Germans have had major lapses. But that was 100 years ago. Since then, they have given the world a better Mercedes, a better Lufthansa, and a better World Cup football team. Oh, and lest I forget, former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Here is some happy noise for PM Philips: after her stint as chancellor was over, Frau Angela Merkel could stand before the world and take pride in the fact that she had never lied to the German people. Neither half-lie, nor white lie, nor lying to cover up bushes and beasts, or oil dollars, or, procurement practices. I wish that there’s one Guyanese political leader who could say the same.
When there is a leader of the character and prowess of an Angela Merkel, there is a company like Siemens Energy. Teutonic Knights who know their stuff, and deliver it. I once held high hopes for America’s Exxon, but after leaky reserves, raided cost bank, hidden audits, and so on, the trust component got scored, savaged, and scarred. I can’t look at Mr. Alistair Routledge or Darren Woods anymore, and say: behold two Americans with whom I could face bombs and bullets, and go down smiling. Not when Guyanese leaders are reduced to pawns and pins on a drawing board. (I wanted to say pimps, but civility conquered).
Americans and others have been welcomed in many areas of this country due to the Great Guyana Oil Rush. This reverse migration that sent Cubans on the way, and with the Chinese targeted to be next. Now the Germans are here. Were earmarked since Jan 2025 to deliver desperately needed electricity to Guyanese families and Guyanese commerce. Just Saturday, the power went off for four hours, a trend that’s now commonplace every couple of days. Yet, the ever-promising, ever-comforting government is already guaranteeing reliable electricity for Christmas. Company calumny and national blasphemy, I would say. On what will the people manage between now and then? Fix the mother—-ing problem now, then be positioned to talk about Christmas in late November or early December.
The Germans are thorough, competent, and the epitome of efficiency. I wonder what the world would have been like if they had taken over. This one thing I am sure of: the misfits and miscarriages that Guyanese have governance champs would have been dogfood. The Germans can be a little hard to deal with; they are that sure of themselves, and they make sure that everyone knows it. I had my dealings with them, and so I can speak from closeup encounters. Unpleasant, some were. For both sides across the table. I can’t see them having much tolerance for the hollowness and dumbness of those who rule the roost here. But they have five years, and if they fall in line, they can last longer. They will deliver on their part at Wales. The determining qualification is how well they deal with the nimble-handed, loudmouthed, and empty-headed high up in this country. Guyana should get real value for its money. Schnell! Wunderbar!
