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Archived Articles
Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
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Guyana: Still exporting peopleIt's an undisputable fact in today's world that the living standard is mainly determined not by the natural resources but by social order and government policy. Take two societies with approximately the same natural conditions, cultural and historical background; the one with the democratic governance will go far ahead. This can be illustrated with the examples of North and South Korea, or the former West and East Germany. Just good natural conditions aren't sufficient to obtain and to keep a good living standard. There are many countries, which are so blessed by God for their natural beauties and so deprived by their governments. One of them is Guyana.
For decades Guyana has been known for its massive emigration toward North America and West Europe. With a population of slightly more than half a million it exported up to 30,000 annually. The migrants were looking not just for a better life but also for a fairer life, escaping from a government that applied its decisions based on the ethnic background. Recently the government decided to reverse this migration flow inviting the emigrants to return by promising some financial bonuses. Unfortunately even with such bonuses, subject to many restrictions and conditions, Guyana can't create favorable conditions matching those of some other countries in the region. The exodus of many middle-class citizens reflects on the general social and economic situation of the country. The infrastructure is among the worst on the continent; blackouts of sixteen hours per day have been reported to occur very often in the capital city of Georgetown. Medical services are among the worst; as a result life expectancy is also among the lowest in the region. To complete the picture the country offers intolerably high crime rates, worsening poverty and political instability. The profile of the foreigner daring to stay in Guyana shouldn't be just of an adventurous person; you have to be another Indiana Jones to have a real chance to survive. But if you're really an Indiana Jones what reward should you expect for your courage? Not much except the nature we already spoke of. Real estate prices for a country like Guyana are high*; you could have much better deals in many other countries without putting at risk your life. We began our story with the statement that a country without a transparent government can't prosper even with many natural assets. In the case of Guyana unfortunately this is only the half of the story. The other half is that the country can lose even its natural assets by giving some transnational companies mining concessions for the foreseeable future. If this happens, then bye-bye eco-paradise, bye-bye natural beauties!
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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Guyana.
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The first time I saw photos taken in this country I couldn't restrain my admiration for its virgin landscape, rain forests, great falls and magnificent beaches. If the word eco-tourism means something, Guyana has reserved for itself one of the leading positions in the world list of nations. So I began looking for stories of grateful foreigners, who have begun their new lives in this eco-paradise. I was also expecting to see hundreds of sites offering real estate at affordable prices, with a government policy competing to attract as many retirees as possible. Maybe there are some people who have already relocated to Guyana but they are far less than its natural beauties suggest. Why? (At right: Magnificent Kaieteur Falls on the Potaro River.)