Jagdeo rubbishes ExxonMobil’s rationale for local content

Jun 08, 2018 ExxonMobil, News

…Says, “I hire over 250 companies a month”

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo agrees with those who have bemoaned the sad state of affairs in Guyana particularly as it relates to local content or lack thereof.
The former President said he is so disappointed with the government’s approach to local content that he has refused to even read the second draft of the local content policy that was recently released.
“I have not looked at it and I would not be looking at it until there is a final policy because this government is not sure about what it wants; today it is this, tomorrow it is that. I will look at the final policy whenever it is released.”
Jagdeo even said he is “fed up” looking at the mediocre work of this “incompetent government.”
Jagdeo said that government has further displayed its incompetence when it accepted ExxonMobil’s definition of local content and the recently released list of companies that ExxonMobil has supposedly ‘worked with.’
He said, “It is not ExxonMobil (that Guyanese need to be disappointed in), it is our government. The (Ministers of Government) are shameless.”

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

ExxonMobil’s Head of Public and Government Relations, Kimberly Brasington

Jagdeo also rubbished ExxonMobil’s rationale for what qualifies to be local content. In fact, he mocked the rationale.
Jagdeo said, “By the way, I hire 250 companies a month. My sister goes to Mon Repos and Mahaica Market and shop. And it seems as though if I pay someone and they shop at another person’s place—because they are my subcontractors—and they come and buy two mangoes from a man, I will have to list the man selling the mangoes as my employee. That is all I am going to say.”
It was ExxonMobil’s Kimberly Brasington who said that the recent list of 228 companies that worked with the oil company includes companies that worked with its contractors or rendered any kind of goods or services to the subcontractors.
As a result, the list includes names of fast food joints and waste management companies. Even Bourda Market made the list as a “company.”