If we can’t have a precedent, we will never have a deterrent to excessive power by Govt. Officials

Apr 15, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The call from civic society to have the Government renegotiate the PSA with Exxon has dwindled down to two men; Nigel Hinds and Chris Ram. It is not that the common folks in society are not supportive of the call to renegotiate the Contract. The chit chat from “man in the street” and the bars is
indicative of the people’s belief that under the present contract, our oil resources will not improve our lives. Guyanese will never take to the streets in protest for the Government to renegotiate the PSA. Since independence, we have seen successive Governments do as they desire to us and our resources. The theory that “Governments should be considered as servants to the people” has never been an inkling of reality here. As a result, the Guyanese psyche is buried in submission, while we ponder and negate or accept the edification of the luminaries in our society. Over the last fifty years, we had been subjected to the whims and fancies of the governing elites until we have been unconsciously indoctrinated into silence. Now, we are as passive as debris on the beach, being tossed by the waves (Govt). Our present constitution stipulates that the people should be consulted on “matters that may affect their well-being.”
That has never happened. For the citizens to stand up and demand redress is to invoke the spirit of victimization within the all powerful governments. As a result, activism to stop corruption or the excesses of Government is dead from grassroots to University. Fear has taken hold of the masses, because successive governments continue to superimpose themselves on the State’s apparatus, creating a dictatorial strangle hold on the people who had elected them. The dropping of the columns of Hinds and Lewis from the state owned Chronicle is a classic example. Mainstream society had little to say on this attack on the freedom of expression in a media that is supposed to belong to the people.
Another example! Given the fact that the Government tried to hide the signing bonus and the PSA was kept undisclosed for over a year and when released was found wanting in comparison with others around the World, coupled with the Government’s adamancy towards renegotiating the contract in the face of public outcry, reeks of collusion. In totality, the entire scenario seems conducive to a situation where the oil belongs to the Government (a few individuals) and the people are beggars, asking for a little pittance from a
reluctant master. While the Government has the audacity to continue to mention that the natural resources belong to the people of Guyana; not a single iota of consultation was done to affect the PSA. Given the widespread knowledge that oil and gas will affect our lives for the next 50 years, this is a flagrant violation of our Constitution. This is the sad state of our so-called democracy. Where is the safeguard mechanism to ensure compliance to the constitution?
When the signing bonus was exposed, comments such as, “We don’t care,” emanated from the Finance Minister. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had lashed out at transparency advocates saying, “Many of those who talk transparency, their activities won’t see the light of day.” Commenting on the gravity of the secrecy of the signing bonus, Chris Ram had said, “It is not even only one of a sustained pattern of lies and deception by key Ministers over close to 28 months. Under Section 85 (a) and (c) of the Fiscal Management
and Accountability Act, indictable offences appear to have been committed for which substantial penalties apply.” Was there any consideration to charge anyone for these “indictable offenses”? I think not.
Ram further added that, “The essential fabric of a government is its relationship with citizens which is grounded in trust and that has been irrecoverably severed. How can anyone (the Ministers) be forgiven if they are incapable of remorse, penitence, shame and embarrassment?”
This is nothing new! Since independence, politicians in power have shown clear signs of being incapable of the above mentioned
emotions.
Why does power turn their hearts into base metals? The answer is simple. While our constitution seems to be worded with safeguard mechanism to protect against violations or abuse of power by govt officials, the follow up method to ensure compliance in the form of prosecution is wanting. With all the cries of corruption through the years, not a single government official has ever been prosecuted for financial or administrative
impropriety.
If we can’t have a precedent, we will never have a deterrent to the excesses of power by Government officials.
Rudolph Singh

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