Discovering oil in a corrupt State

Jan 17, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my thoughts on Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector. I, like so many other Guyanese, believe in the freedom of speech – a right that has been afforded to me by the Constitution.
Editor, I have been paying close attention to the events that are unfolding as the country navigates along the path to becoming an oil-producing state.
My concern, however, is not with the ambitious production deadline (2020), nor is it with the fact that Guyana may very well be on a collision course with the infamous Resource Curse. No, my concern is corruption.
Guyana has never been immune to corruption. If one should posit an argument that all countries have corruption, then I amend my statement to: “Guyana has never been immune to a high level of corruption” – and that is a fact!
We’ve already seen backdoor deals in various sectors prior to the discovery of oil. The PPP/C were corruption allegation magnets.
Some allegations were true. We’ve seen corruption in the forestry, gold, housing and even the agricultural sector.
The forensic audits told us this, the media told us this, international organisations told us this.
So is it then farfetched for citizens of this country, to assume that there will be rampant corruption in the oil sector too? Maybe not.
Our politicians continue to assure us that there won’t be but, the evidence is staring back at us. Even the government itself, has had its fair share of corruption allegations since May 2015.
The greatest hits are: the Saffon Street Bond Fiasco; the D’Urban Park Development Project, now apparently a home for the homeless and new species of termites; several procurement issues; and most recently, the Singing Bonus debacle.
Like the PPP, most of these allegations turned out to have some merit.
The government talks about independent regulatory bodies being set up to monitor oil-related issues but why isn’t anyone talking about the penalties that will be imposed when someone within the oil and gas sector is caught fudging data or stashing funds?
This is what Guyanese want to hear. How will a corrupt official within the Oil and Gas sector be whipped? This oil belongs to the people of this country, yes we may not have the skill and expertise to produce it but it’s still ours, and anyone that is found getting rich off our property by means deemed immoral or unpatriotic should be charged for treason. Maybe that will stop them from reaching into the cookie jar.
Marcus. A. Hope

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