Actions speak louder than words

Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Audreyanna Thomas’s letter, titled “Mr. Jagdeo is a leader of yesterday, not today”, dated November 19, 2020.
What His Excellency Dr Jagdeo achieved in ecosystem management has been recognised by leaders around the world as an outstanding contribution to humanity and the planet. His ability to achieve this should not be disregarded because of political difference of opinion. It would be folly to throw out the baby with the bathwater. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

The course which His Excellency Dr Jagdeo sets for the use of our natural resources in the future will say volumes of his ability to continue to champion the cause of our planet in ecosystems management. It would be best for critics to not underestimate his ability to look beyond the usual path of resource exploitation. If he and his team are able to negotiate a payment for current and future discovered resources, while also ensuring they are not exploited in a way that harms the planet, His Excellency would accomplish the single most significant achievement by any nation in the realm of climate change.

To do so, as he did in the Forestry Sector while also keeping our nation on the path of economic development, was and is thinking beyond that seen in other leaders of our generation.
Norway and other climate-conscious nations in Europe have also shown a willingness to embrace such an approach, and Guyana has a great ambassador for this approach in His Excellency Dr Jagdeo, who has shown the world that he can make this possible.

His past experience should not be neglected when considering what he can accomplish today at such a critical juncture in human existence.
The Paris Agreement and the large investments being made in clean renewable energy around the world, including in major oil-producing nations in the Middle East, show clearly that others are feeling the urgency of such a needed change in how we manage our planet and its resources.
Therefore, the time for action is now, and who best to champion this needed change than he who has done so successfully before?

Best regards,
Jamil Changlee