Both Guyanas—yes, the one with the name and its neighbor Surinam—could use the cash infusion that oil promises. But history doesn’t inspire much confidence. We’ve seen the same pattern repeat across continents: the curse of sudden extractive wealth. When governments no longer need the grit and ingenuity of their citizens to fund themselves, they simply stop caring. Problems don’t get solved; they get smothered under heaps of money like corpses buried in fresh banknotes.
That’s no recipe for a healthy society. Still, hope is a stubborn weed. Perhaps one day a country will break the curse. Property rights reform would be a good start: placing the reins of wealth directly in the hands of citizens. It requires trust, but pays dividends no treasury can match. Nations that empower their people consistently outperform those that don’t.I, for one, would be glad to see the Guyanas grow into wealthy, genuinely happy places—though history suggests the odds are against them.