The oil and gas sector is important for Guyana and Guyanese

Sep 13, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
I read the Stabroek News article, under the caption ‘Shell invests in oil sector -Mc Doom site to store equipment’, which was published on September 10, 2018. The article reported that the Opposition Leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo made brief remarks at the commissioning of Mohamed’s Enterprise Laydown Facility located at Area MM McDoom, but this is not so.
Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin, was also there and what happened is that Mr. Jagdeo used the opportunity to call on him to answer questions that I, like many other Guyanese have, about what our government is doing in the oil and gas sector. There was a clear call for clarity on a number of issues.
Among the several things that were raised were:
1. Why is there no adequate response to the need for a predictable and conductive environment for investment?
2. What are the terms of agreement that other oil companies would benefit from, and what will they not get that ExxonMobil got?
3. What is the role of the Department of Energy compared to the role of Petroleum Commission for which there is a Bill in Parliament to allow the Commission to be set up?
4. What is the Coalition’s policy on developing shore-based facilities? Will it invest partly? Where will these facilities be located?
5. Why is there no clarity on insulating the Sovereign Wealth Fund from political control?
6. What exactly are the plans for using oil monies to improve the local economy and for long-term progress?
7. What is the Coalition policy on taxes to ensure a settled environment for private sector development at a time when businesses see what appear to be whimsical acts by tax authorities?
8. What will happen to the remaining oil blocks?
9. What is the framework that will see ordinary Guyanese people benefiting from the oil and gas sector?
10. When will government bring the local content legislation to Parliament? How will that legislation benefit Guyanese people? How will the position in the legislation on investors from CARICOM?
Point number 10 was the only one mentioned in the article. This was most unfortunate. The reporter was either not at the event or opted not to present the full picture of what took place. I believe that our media has a responsibility to keep the public fully informed and not be selective. This is why this article raised questions.
What was also unfortunate was that Mr. Gaskin did not respond to the questions. He talked about the draft local content policy, but still Guyanese people are no clearer on what is happening.
The oil and gas sector is an important one for Guyana and Guyanese people and what happens as it develops is also important.
Ibrahim Bin Jabbar

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