Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Govt’s defence of the oil contract and Exxon borders on shameless genuflection!
DEAR EDITOR,
There seems to be – judging from the printed and anecdotal evidence – sustained and overwhelming opposition to the 2016 oil contract with Exxon and a demand for the contract to be renegotiated.
Within Guyana itself, the major opposition political party (PPP/C) which won nearly half the votes at the last general election (May 2015), is very unhappy with the present contract and wants it modified. Other important bodies that opposed the contract include the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Chambers of Commerce, Transparency International Guyana as well as other organisations that have signalled their uneasiness at the top-sided nature of the contract.
Many eminent Guyanese are also in the vanguard with their voices raised against it and they command the respect of a wide cross-section of Guyanese society.
Outside Guyana, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pointed out several flaws in the contract to the detriment of Guyana. Also, a former Minister of Energy in the government of Trinidad and Tobago (Mr. Kevin Ramnarine) has added his voice of disapproval to the present contract.
The chorus of opposition to the 2016 oil contract will not go away in spite of Ms. Brasington’s (Exxon’s P.R. representative) pious declaration about the ‘sanctity of the contract,’ Exxon’s lofty ethical credentials and the doomsday innuendo about ‘eyes being on Guyana’!
Ms. Brasington must know that contracts are not made in heaven and they are more sacred the closer they approximate to the interests of one or the other party! Exxon’s ethical foundations have not been beyond reproach, as its position on climate change clearly shows. To be fair to Exxon, however, they were pushed into doing this contract.
The government of Guyana has its eyes on the 2020 general elections and so it is more than likely felt it was in its best interest to ask Exxon to ‘Speed things up for us so that we can win the elections and you can have a bigger slice of the pie,’ What other explanation can there be?
But Exxon should have insisted for the PPP/C to be privy to the contract – like Norway did and Sithe Global (the Amaila company that cancelled). How else can anyone explain the blatant disregard for expert advice, the vociferous support of Exxon and the contract by Messrs Gaskin, Trotman, Harmon, Greenidge and Granger?
Their defence of the contract and Exxon borders on shameless genuflection! But more dangerous is the impression given that the wealth of Guyana belongs to them – a government with a wafer-thin majority in Parliament. A government that hid the contract and signing bonus from the people of Guyana, and a Minister (Trotman) who repeatedly said he was being advised by top experts from all over the world!
Let us be clear – this government is not empowered, the President is not empowered to act as if this country and its resources belong to them. This contract will affect the lives of Guyanese for years to come and was not even debated in our Parliament! Why not? Should there be a referendum; the Guyanese people would reject the contract.
Yours sincerely,
Algoo Persaud
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