After 100 years with ExxonMobil… 20 African countries no better off today

Feb 25, 2018 News

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The splendour Mother Nature has bestowed upon the continent of Africa cannot be ignored. But neither can the fact that after 100 years of hosting ExxonMobil’s operations, the people of 20 African nations are no better off today.
This can be seen from a simple examination of the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report. (http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI).
The HDI was created to emphasise the point that people and their ability to live a better life should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country.
The African countries which have been flagged in the HDI report as places of low human development include: Angola, Chad, Cameroon, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the Republic of Congo.
Those African nations with managed to scrape medium development for its people after finding oil include Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Sâo Tomé and Morocco.
On this basis, one can surely understand the notion that oil alone does not guarantee the “good life”. This very point was recently hammered home by world renowned scientist and head of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), Professor Suresh Narine.
At the Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX) which was held from February 7 to February 9, Professor Narine asked, “Will Guyana simply shoot to the top of the HDI by simply becoming producers of oil? And for how long shall we maintain this good life, if we are able to attain it? Or will it only be over the lifetime of our reserves? ”

BaiShanLin busted for illegal logging in Berbice River

Late January, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, made it clear that disgraced Chinese investor, BaiShanLin, was not operating in Guyana. Asked about BaiShanLin, the Minister said, “We are not aware that BaiShanLin has any operations ongoing.”
However, there is evidence that the Chinese company is alive and well and operating despite its forest concessions having been taken away more than a year ago.
According to officials, about three weeks ago, employers of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) stopped trucks that had the company’s logo.
They found Wamara logs on the trucks. Checks reportedly found some discrepancies in the paperwork. The tags on the logs reportedly came from the Kwakwani Natural Resource Organisation (KNRO) but the logs were later traced to a concession that used to be controlled by the Chinese company.
The matter was reported to GFC headquarters and the regulator has since launched a probe.
GFC as the regulator would want to know how KNRO’s tags ended on logs that came from a forest concession in another concession. The name of the area in the Upper Berbice River area was given as “Waico”.
Under tough forestry regulations, that is a clear no-no, with stiff fines and other penalties automatically applied. These will add up to millions of dollars.
If it is found that KNRO knowingly allowed BaiShanLin to operate in another concession with its tags, which allows GFC to trace to the exact tree stump, the organisation could also be in deep trouble.
According to officials, local sawmillers and loggers have been complaining of Wamara flooding the market in the last few months-almost 3,000 cubic meters since December.
If the charges are proven, BaiShanLin could be in deep, deep trouble and there would be questions about the monitoring of authorities. There are checkpoints along the Linden/Kwakwani route, Region Ten.
The company was granted hundreds of millions of dollars in duty free concessions for vehicles and equipment for its forestry operations.
After those forestry concessions were seized, there were assurances that BaiShanLin would be monitored to ensure it does not use those trucks and equipment to unfairly compete in other sectors.

MONDAY

Politicians across the board have failed Guyana with oil contracts – Lincoln Lewis

– commends media for highlighting oil contracts signed by past and present Govts.

Trade Unionist, Lincoln Lewis has acknowledged that the contract that Guyana has with CGX bears a sticking resemblance to the contract the nation has with ExxonMobil.
Lewis noted that two different governments signed those agreements. He said they all must take responsibility.
Lewis expressed his concerns and made his views known in a letter to the media.
He said that the media needs to be commended for its continuous effort in highlighting the truth as it relates to the contracts signed by Governments of Guyana with the oil companies.
Lewis noted that members of civil society, “like Christopher Ram and Ramon “Rambo” Gaskin, have communicated to us their interest in taking a laser beam on this matter as they dissect ExxonMobil contract and offer their opinions on whether Guyana is getting the best deal or not. As regards to the politicians the public debates between the two sides and the evidence unfolding bring into question what their real motives are.” “The PPP/C Opposition decries the APNU+AFC Executive for the agreement it signed on behalf of the people of Guyana with ExxonMobil. Today the media is bringing to the public attention the similarities in the agreement signed by PPP/C Government with CGX and the APNU+AFC Government with ExxonMobil.”
Lewis said that the nation should remember that CARIFORUM negotiated an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU). “Subsequent to this CARICOM commenced engagement to seal an agreement with Canada on an economic partnership. The Canadian Government used the CARIFORUM/EU Agreement as the template in engaging CARICOM.”
Lewis said that the negotiation of the first agreement sets the foundation for any that come thereafter.
He then noted that there is a principle in negotiation that it is wise to seek to avoid “starting wrong because you will end wrong. In the case of the oil and gas agreements the first agreement will set the tone for others coming thereafter. While one is not aware whether the CGX can be considered the first, what is being gleaned is that it was used as the template in negotiating with Exxon.”

Shot, carjacked and left to die

– Phillip King thought he was just taking two women and a baby to church…He ended up almost getting killed

It was around 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, November 27, 2017, when the two women approached Phillip King at the Stabroek car park.
They said they were heading to the Seventh Day Adventist church in Meadowbrook Gardens.
That route held unpleasant memories for King. On the night of May 26, 2015, he had taken a burly, fair-complexioned young man from the Stabroek Park to that same location.
Just as the passenger disembarked near the Enterprise Primary School in Meadowbrook, three other men with handguns rushed to King’s car. They ordered him out of his 2015-model Toyota Premio.
King, 46, appealed to the gunmen’s sense of patriotism. “Is Independence Day, man, we supposed to be celebrating,” he pleaded. “Me ain want hear no (expletive) ‘bout Independence,” one of the carjackers replied.
They gun-butted King until he blacked out, dumped him in a trench, and drove off with his car.
Two years had passed after that attack, and though he was now more wary about picking up strangers, King sensed nothing suspicious about the two women who asked him to take them along the same treacherous route. They were in their twenties, he guessed; they were decently dressed, and one even held a well-wrapped up baby.
King is a father of three, and perhaps the baby stirred his paternal instincts. There was also the fact that the women said they were going to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Meadowbrook.
They entered the back seat, and King drove to their destination. He still wasn’t uneasy when he reached the church and observed that there appeared to be no one inside. The only individual he saw was a well-dressed man standing in the compound. The women explained that the gentleman, who was now approaching King, would pay their fare. The well-dressed man came to the driver’s side of the car. He reached into one of his pockets…and King froze. He was staring into the muzzle of a handgun.
TUESDAY            

ExxonMobil contract anti-Constitution–says Ram

Just imagine. A sovereign state is prevented from altering the Agreement either directly or indirectly by new laws or policies, but an arbitral tribunal can do so!
If Chapter 1:01 of the Laws of Guyana sets out the country’s constitution, this Petroleum Agreement, signed AFTER the world’s largest oil find in 2015, constitutes its anti-Constitution.”
So said Attorney-at-law and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, as he spoke of the ills highlighted in Article 32 of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that the Government of Guyana signed with ExxonMobil.
This is not the first time Ram spoke of the Stability Clause. However, the commentator said that he becomes more sickened each time he takes another look at that particular clause in the contract.
Ram said, “Every reading of the provision strikes the observer as breathtaking, crippling, terrifying and without parallel with more recent oil contracts in its scope and application.
“By conceding on this Article, the Granger Government has not only emasculated itself but every succeeding Government up to the year 2056 and quite possibly later, depending on the rate of exploration and exploitation of what is possibly the largest petroleum area to have ever been granted to a foreign oil company by any sovereign state in the world in the post-colonial era.”
Ram said that the clause is incomparable to other recent contracts without having a look at the CGX contact that the PPP/C Government signed which government only released three days ago.
The Stability Clause of the CGX contract is almost identical to that of ExxonMobil contract.
Ram had also noted that the companies making up “the contractor” which is the term used in the contract, enjoy water-tight protection against any changes proposed by the Granger and subsequent Governments.
“They are exempted from any new or additional taxes passed by the Parliament for the several decades during which the Agreement can legally subsist.

Auditors find City Hall misappropriates $$$ millions in Govt. funding …City Treasurer calls in sick

Auditor General (AG) Deodat Sharma will launch a forensic audit of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council into millions of dollars in funds provided by Central Government since 2015.
The AG’s decision came when city treasurer, Ron McCalmont, who is legally the financial reporting officer for the council, was absent from Monday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting held at Parliament Buildings.
His absence was reportedly due to a doctor’s appointment.
The PAC meeting which was chaired by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament Irfaan Ali, scrutinised expenditure allocated by Parliament for the Ministry of Communities.
Deputy Treasurer of M&CC, John Douglas, was summoned to the PAC meeting to answer questions in relation to the missing financial statements, but he could not provide proper information on monies expended by the M&CC.
MISSING DOCUMENTS
The PAC noted that state auditors have not received vouchers, statements of expenditure or any piece of document that he can verify that City Hall spent $173.5M.
This amount included, Kitty Market, $60M; constabulary training school, $23.9M; city engineer building, $13.5M; constabulary headquarters, $12.9M; Albouystown clinic, $21.5M; and office equipment and furniture, $42.1M.
PAC member and PPP MP, Juan Edghill, raised questions relating to 2016 that the PAC has been seeking to verify.
“We have all of these discrepancies that we couldn’t get answers so I’m not surprised that the treasurer was sick today because that is a lot of weight to carry around; burdensome,” Edghill stated.
According to Edghill, of greater concern is the auditors being unable to find the contracts and the vouchers in one instance, and the furniture can’t be physically verified.
“If I leave Public Accounts and say the Mayor and City Council has misappropriated $42 million, would I be factually correct? They can’t account for it. They say they buy furniture, you can’t see the furniture; you can’t see the contract; you can’t see the payment voucher; you don’t have a cheque to show that it was paid. Where this money went, thin air?” Edghill questioned.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities, Emil McGarrell told the PAC that the Ministry has provided internal auditors to assist the M&CC and other efforts, which have not produced results.

Linden town treasurer refuses to sign off illegally on cheques

Treasurer of the Linden Town Council, Audrey Nelson, was Monday commended for standing up to councillors by refusing to authorize spending of government funds without following the correct legal procedures.
During the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, Nelson declared that the municipality has issues following procedures. By the end of 2016, the council held roughly $12.8M in ‘a special account’ set up to receive funding from central government.
Some $3 million of the full amount allocated had been spent. Nelson stated that that councillors wanted to spend the money on programmes without the approval of central government.
The monies were kept in the account because the Ministry of Communities and the Ministry of Finance are exploring whether the unspent monies in the municipalities needed to be returned to central government or the council members can  approve the monies be spent on other projects.
“Under the subvention programme that is being given, we had to stay within the ambits of the programme and spend the money within the ambits of the programme. They wanted us to go outside of the programme,” Nelson explained.
The treasurer told the PAC that she resisted the attempts and informed the councillors that in order to release the funds, approval needed to be sought from central government. Nelson stated that the councillors have not pursued approval for redirecting the funds although they have often spoken about it.
WEDNESDAY

 After several days of uproar in Ghana… Leaked ExxonMobil contract sent to Parliament for better deal

On January 18, last, the Government of Ghana signed a contract with ExxonMobil for offshore exploration. The area agreed upon to conduct the operations is the Deepwater Cape Three Point oilfield.
The Contract was kept from prying eyes, but not for long. Within the space of two weeks, the contract was leaked.
Upon conducting detailed assessments, Ghana’s civil society realized that the contract, which was praised by the government as being “the best deal for the nation in recent years,” was actually a total disappointment, as it was simply generous to ExxonMobil.
Civil society members denounced it as the “worst deal in Ghana’s history”.
Unlike what is currently taking place in Guyana, the Government of Ghana listened to the concerns of its citizens. In less than a week of the public outcry, the administration assured the citizenry that the contract would be turned over to Parliament, so that a “better deal” can be negotiated on the people’s behalf.
GUYANA’S GOVT. UNMOVED 
It was in December 2017 that the Government of Guyana released the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) it signed with ExxonMobil. Since then, local commentators have been flooding the daily newspapers about the flaws of the 2016 Agreement.
Some of these include the fact that ExxonMobil trapped Guyana with US$460M in start-up costs and that it has access to unlimited duty free concessions.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has also been criticized for agreeing to give ExxonMobil seven days’ notice before he can check the entity’s books. This is in stark contrast to what is practiced in other oil-producing nations which have complete access to the records of operators at any time. To add insult to injury, the Government of Guyana agreed to conduct one audit a year on ExxonMobil.
Chinese bank cannot save BaiShanLin – Concessions will be reallocated – GFC

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is no longer willing to facilitate a request from the China Development Bank (CDB) to hold off on the redistribution of land concessions previously held by BaiShanLin Forest Developers Inc.
Last year, CDB made the request to stall redistribution because it was looking to secure finances to recapitalise loans owned by BaiShanLin.
On Monday, GFC hosted its first press conference of the year.
At that forum, Kaieteur News made queries about the lands that were being held for the Chinese company. Chairwoman of the GFC Board, Jocelyn Dow made no qualms to state that the GFC has made a decision to disregard the request made by the bank.
Dow said, “We have no nexus with banks that is a matter for BaiShanLin. The concessions are there and we will make a decision when all of the other issues surrounding the collecting of materials and so on are sorted out. When we are able to sort those things out, the concessions will be offered out for reallocation.”
Dow continued, “BaiShanLin and their bankers are not the business of the GFC any longer.”
She noted, “At one stage the CDB had spoken to us. But they have no standing. They are not a concessionaire; their client is BaiShanLin not the Guyana Forestry Commission.”
At the press conference, it was also noted that BaiShanLin still owes the GFC $80M.
GFC Commissioner, James Singh said that the GFC is not willing to count the debt as a loss and write it off just yet. He told Kaieteur News, “Yes, we are making all efforts to collect those monies. Certainly it has not been written off.”
Dow indicated that GFC is looking to get its money from the sale of BaiShanLin’s assets. She noted that the Chinese company has a number of assets.
More than two months later… Cabinet still to review outstanding forensic audit reports

It was three years ago that the coalition administration triggered a series of forensic audits which resulted in the expenditure of $133M.
To date, Cabinet is still to review close to 20 of those outstanding audits. These include the reports for the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Lotto Fund.
Junior Minister of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma told Kaieteur News Tuesday that Cabinet is still to get around to reviewing some of the audits. He noted however that nothing alarming came out of the audit reports such as the one on GGMC.
He said that in several cases, various issues were identified with the audit reports, where some auditors were limited in scope due to their inability to access certain documentation.
The Junior Finance Minister also noted that with the passage of the Whistleblower legislation, several persons have come forward to provide information on financial irregularities that were missed by the forensic auditors hired by the government.
Sharma said that where necessary, he shall be making recommendations for some of these matters to be further investigated by the relevant authorities.
It was in May 2015 that the Granger-led administration began expending millions of taxpayers’ dollars on 45 of its 50 forensic audits to ascertain how the assets of the state were sold, disposed of or transferred under the previous administration.
The remaining five audits were sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Some of the firms contracted to conduct the forensic audits included Nigel Hinds Financial Service, Ram and Mc Rae and HLB Seebarran and Co. Chartered Accountant Anand Goolsarran along with Harryman Parmesar were also contracted to conduct several forensic audits.
Nigel Hinds Financial Service audited agencies such as the Guyana Oil Company Limited (Guyoil), the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest).

THURSDAY

 Contractor trailed from bank, shot in the head

An electrical contractor was shot in the back of the head and robbed of $600,000 some ten minutes after leaving a Republic Bank branch at Triumph, East Coast Demerara.
Terry Singh, 38, was shot by a tattooed gunman around 13:00 hrs Wednesday, just as he entered the compound of the R. Kissoon Contracting Service at Foulis, East Coast Demerara.
The robber and an accomplice escaped with the cash on a CG motorcycle, which had no number plates.
Singh has been admitted to hospital with a fractured skull. His condition is stable and he is to undergo surgery.
The contractor’s employer told Kaieteur News that he had given Singh an $800,000 cheque, which the contractor encashed at the Republic Bank at Foulis.
Singh then withdrew $600,000, which was reportedly to be used to renovate his home.
Singh who is in pain but is conscious, told Kaieteur News that he then headed back to his worksite on his motorcycle.
The contractor said that when he was in the vicinity of Lusignan, he observed a silver grey car, which he suspected was trailing him.
According to Singh, the driver appeared to accelerate whenever he (Singh) increased his speed.
However, the contractor said that the vehicle was nowhere in sight when he reached his workplace.
Singh said that just as he entered his workplace at Foulis, he heard an explosion behind him. He had no idea that he had been shot until he saw the blood trickling down his neck.

 GuySuCo no longer under Agri Ministry –Holder clarifies

Speaking to reporters, on the sidelines of the opening of the National Dialogue on the thirty-fifth Regional

Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean and Accountability of the FAO’s stewardship workshop held at Regency Suites, Brickdam, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, on Wednesday confirmed that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is no longer under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“GuySuCo is vested in National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL).  NICIL falls under the Ministry of Finance. In short, GuySuCo has been removed from the ambits of agriculture to the Ministry of Finance,” Minister Holder stated.
In late December, a publication of the Official Gazette disclosed that under the Third Schedule, all shares issued by GuySuCo which are owned or held by the corporation or the state or any other state corporation or agency is being transferred to NICIL.
It means that in addition to the three estates of GuySuCo- Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt-, NICIL also has control of the four others which has been closed- Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales.
The last four have been placed under the Special Purpose Unit, which was established by NICIL last year to oversee the divestment and privatization process.
The closure of the four estates and sending home of more than 4,000 workers by GuySuCo last year angered the administration which claimed that although it was aware some actions were being taken, Cabinet was not briefed.
With 16,000-plus workers, making redundant over 4,000 workers always would have sparked political and other fallouts.

Rates increase application… GWI moves to write off $$$millions owed by customers

The second day of the public hearings into an application by state-owned Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for increased rates got underway Wednesday with the company announcing plans to sanitise its systems.
During the hearings at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, GWI’s head, Dr. Richard Van West Charles, disclosed that the company has found itself in a bind…it is unable to go after consumers, including home owners and businesses, who are owing more than three years ago.
Under limitation laws, GWI cannot bill customers beyond three years in arrears.
The company is now moving to determine what exactly it is owed. The sanitisation process will take some time.
The issue of what is owed is highly pertinent to GWI’s application as there are arguments by consumers’ rights advocates that GWI don’t need any raise to the rates…rather, it should move to collect those outstanding monies.
Consumers’ activists Pat Dial, George Cave, Ramon Gaskin and former GWI’s official, John Seeram, were among those who believe that GWI should put its house in order first.
Gaskin, for the second day, is standing his grounds that up to date financials of GWI should feature as part of the considerations for any rates increase.
GWI’s financials for 2016 is now being audited. The Managing Director says he will be meeting with the board today on the possible release of the information as there are restrictions of released unaudited figures.
Dr Van West-Charles explained that although the company’s debt figure is high, collections alone cannot sufficiently finance the investments made to treat water for a growing economy.

 FRIDAY

 All oil contracts signed by Guyana bear similar ugly features as one with Exxon

– Govt. promises to do different “going forward”

The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that the Government of Guyana signed with ExxonMobil is definitely not the only one of its kind in Guyana. Kaieteur News has been told that all of the oil contracts which have been signed by APNU+AFC government as well as the PPP/C government are similar.
In fact, this newspaper understands that the model that was being used over the years dates back to the 1970s. Guyana has just about 10 existing contracts with various oil companies including ExxonMobil. These have all been modeled from a contract that the country had with Mobil, a company that had a presence in Guyana during the time of former President, the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.
It was that same template that was reportedly used to formulate the ExxonMobil 1999 PSA.
However, when ExxonMobil announced that it found oil in commercial quantities offshore Guyana in 2015, and the APNU+AFC government took another look at the contract, a decision was taken by government to review and renegotiate the contract. In fact, this newspaper carried an article back in 2016 that quoted Trotman, expressing government’s desire to do same. That article can be read here: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2016/06/29/govt-reviews-17-year-old-contract-with-exxon-mobil-but-agrees-it-provides-relative-protection-as-constituted-2/.
However, Kaieteur News has been told that ExxonMobil, knowing the advantageous provisions of the 1999 contract, took a firm stance that it was not willing to renegotiate the contract. Apparently, the company had grounds for that position. And government “respects the sanctity of agreements.”
Nevertheless, the government maneuvered a one percent increase in royalty, which in ExxonMobil’s view, was negligible; it does not hurt the company in anyway. But, that meagre increase and the inclusion of a signature bonus, which is also negligible in the grand scheme of things, were predicated on an agreement to extend the life of the contract beyond 2018. ExxonMobil’s contract would have ended in June and another would have had to be negotiated. The government opted to extend.
With the extension, ExxonMobil managed to slip in a few more “oppressive” provisions as those contained in the Stability Clause.

Lopsided Exxon deal underscores need for all PSAs to go through Parliament – Ram

Given the damning flaws contained in the oil deal Guyana signed with ExxonMobil, local commentators believe that Parliament needs to have increased oversight of the oil and gas sector and related contracts.
Specifically making this comment recently was Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram.
During an interview with this newspaper, Ram noted that the ExxonMobil agreement should have been tabled and approved in the National Assembly. The anticorruption advocate said that this should have been the way forward for all Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs).
Ram said, “These contracts have long term effects. So what you have is a Minister binding a Parliament or a country for decades. The practice of having Production Sharing Agreements go through the Parliamentary process can be seen in places like Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. That is how it should be done, because there are long term effects with these contracts…”
The Chartered Accountant said, “What we have before us is proof that this is what should be done. But in addition, I think even the scheme in which the Executive negotiates should be revised…”
Also in agreement with the need for the role of Parliament to increase in the oil sector is Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds.
The political commentator said that the Parliament should always have an important role in these matters—it is the only elected branch of government. Dr. Hinds noted that the oil and gas sector is a defining one and as such, he would recommend that Parliament set up a standing committee on energy.
He said that such oversight is necessary, given how much is at stake. Perhaps as a start, the University Professor said, there should be a select committee to look at what has transpired thus far in relation to the contract and other related issues. He emphasized that such a committee should hold hearings, so that it gets to hear from government operatives and other expert witnesses.

Caricom official shot and robbed after leaving bank …second such attack in two days

Bandits targeting commercial bank customers struck again Thursday, shooting a Caricom Secretariat official in the right leg and escaping with $264,000.
Lionel Persaud, 59, a programme manager, was cornered outside his Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara residence at around 14.00 hrs, shortly after leaving a commercial bank.
The shooter and an accomplice arrived and escaped by car.
A police release stated that Persaud had visited a commercial bank on the East Coast of Demerara then headed home in his car. When he arrived, the occupants of another vehicle approached from a northern direction and blocked Persaud’s path.
A man then exited from the back seat, pointed a handgun at the Caricom Secretariat official, and relieved him of a bag containing the cash he had withdrawn.
The bandit then shot Persaud in the upper right leg before escaping with his accomplice. A policeman transported Persaud to hospital.
Investigators retrieved a spent shell from the scene and “are making stringent efforts to trace the vehicle and apprehend the suspects.”
Persaud is the second person to be shot and robbed in two days after leaving a commercial bank.
At around 13.00 hrs on Wednesday, electrical contractor Bisnauth Chan, also called Terry Chan, was shot in the head and relieved of $600,000 just after leaving a commercial bank and entering his workplace at Foulis, East Coast Demerara.
Chan, 38, had cashed an $800,000 cheque at the Republic Bank branch at Triumph, East Coast Demerara.
The robber and an accomplice escaped with the cash on a CG motorcycle, which had no number plates.
SATURDAY

 When compared to Guyana’s contract…

 ExxonMobil does way more for Ghana in areas of employment, training

The Government and many of its affiliates have continually praised the Guyana-ExxonMobil contract for the many opportunities it has for the training and employment of locals.
But when one compares those “opportunities” to that of another deal ExxonMobil signed with Ghana, some worrying discoveries are made.
In the contract ExxonMobil signed with Ghana, the entity agrees to provide a training allowance of US$2M annually. It also provides Ghana with a one-time technology support payment of US$7M.
In Guyana’s contract, ExxonMobil only commits to a US$300,000 payment for training. No provision was in place for financial support in the area of technology.
As it relates to employment, ExxonMobil agrees to employ as “far as reasonably possible” Ghanaians for all positions it may have open. In the contract ExxonMobil has with Guyana, it is not obligated to employ Guyanese to the “maximum extent.”
Additionally, ExxonMobil agreed to give the Government of Ghana, the opportunity to nominate individuals to hold any position that it would need in the foreseeable future. Guyana did not get this chance.
ExxonMobil also agreed to, once requested by the government of Ghana, to provide opportunities for a mutually agreed number of personnel nominated the government to be seconded for on-the-job-training or attachment in all phases of its oil operations.   ExxonMobil also agrees to handle all costs associated with the secondment contract.   This arrangement is absent from ExxonMobil’s contract with Guyana.

NO PENALTIES

Guyana’s Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with US oil giant, ExxonMobil, has been criticized for having limited or rather, ‘mediocre” provisions in place for local content. But even with the inadequate provisions in place, no penalties exist if ExxonMobil turns out to be negligent in this regard.
On the other hand, there are several nations which have inescapable penalties should oil operators decide to shirk their local content responsibilities.  Uganda is just one of the many countries in this regard.
In fact, Uganda’s move towards penalties was due to the findings and recommendations of the Global Witness in relation to PSAs there. The Global Witness is an international body that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide.
According to the anticorruption body, local content obligations in contracts and laws seek to ensure that companies employ nationals, train local staff and procure local services. It notes that the intention is for local industries to benefit directly from the oil sector and that local people develop the skills to manage the oil sector in future.
The Global Witness noted however, that none of the contracts it examined prior to 2008 for Uganda, set benchmarks or penalties for failure to comply with the local content obligations. The International body noted that other countries have included stricter provisions for the procurement of local goods and services in their PSAs and required that they are verified by the relevant government agencies.
After revealing this, the government of Uganda made swift moves towards including penalties in PSAs for failure to comply with local content provisions.

Financing is for GuySuCo, not the four closed estates

 -Enmore’s reopening in three weeks

The Enmore factory is expected to restart operations in as little as three weeks with molasses production expected to be the main production activity. It will not be on par with the level of operations before, officials of the Ministry of Finance confirmed yesterday.
The officials also clarified recent reports in the press where according to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, moves are underway to source financing for the closed Skeldon and Enmore estates.
“I can confirm to you that the minister was misunderstood. The financing being sourced is for the operations of GuySuCo and its three estates- Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt- it has nothing to do with the four closed estates. That is being handled separately,” an official close to the process said.
With regards to Enmore, under the temporary arrangements with the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), there over 30,000 tonnes of canes in the ground at that estate. It will be used to produce mainly molasses for DDL. Molasses is a key ingredient in the rum-making process.
DDL is the producer of the award-winning El Dorado rums.

 Thousands celebrate 48th Republic anniversary

Thousands of people from diverse backgrounds were brought together on Friday as Guyana celebrated its 48th Republic Anniversary under the theme “Let’s cooperate and celebrate Republic 48.”
Republic Day, also known as Mashramani Day, is a most outstanding and colourful national event.
Local entertainment was at its best yesterday, as thousands flocked the streets of Georgetown to get a glimpse of the brilliantly decorated floats which displayed the amazing talents and creativity of local designers.
As early as 10:00hrs spectators lined up across the Mash route which started at Thomas Lands, Georgetown and went all the way down to Vlissengen Road and then into Durban Park for the final judging.
Among those seated in Durban Park were President David Granger and his wife Sandra Granger; Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge; Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton; Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes; Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson; US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway and other diplomats.
The young, the old and the differently able were among those who were a part of the festivities.
Over 20 floats, including those from the 10 Administrative Regions took to the streets.
There were colourful floats from the Ministry of Business, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of the Presidency, Ministry of Public Telecommunications, Region Three Democratic Council, and Region Four Democratic Council.
There was also the GTT Pulse band.

 

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