A lawless Guyana

Jul 21, 2019 The Story within the Story

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By Leonard Gildarie

This past week saw some major developments that just got lost in all the political happenings. We have to stay alert and be very angry with our leaders.
In the years to come, we will look back and probably rue the days which we lost squabbling while we left the stable gates open.
It was announced that ‘Liza Destiny’ left for Singapore for Guyana. This is the floating platform – converted from a ship – that will produce, store and offload our oil to tankers that will come. It has the capacity to produce up to 120,000 barrels per day, which, according to estimates, could initially see Guyana receiving upwards of US$300M annually. It was built in Singapore and commissioned by First Lady, Sandra Granger.
Already, SBM Offshore, the company that built Liza Destiny, has been given the contract to construct another facility, this time with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day.
ExxonMobil wants to ramp that up to 750,000 barrels per day by 2025.
We are talking only about the Stabroek Block, that ExxonMobil and its partners are operating. There are adjoining blocks which awards are being contested but which should see exploratory wells shortly.
I am convinced that oil is in those adjoining blocks, which will place Guyana on par with some of the biggest producers, on a per capita basis.
Liza Destiny will cost several hundred million US dollars and represent a major chunk of the US$4B that ExxonMobil and its partners have announced for its development of the Stabroek Block. The vessel has our national flag emblazoned on the side and is supposed to be here in September.
In Trinidad on Friday, a delegation of Guyanese executives and officials were there to attend an investment forum.
Those two are momentous occasions for Guyana. Liza Destiny will be a significant milestone in our rapid strides to the oil and gas sector. The investment forum in Trinidad will spell a major shift on where we used to sit at the negotiating table.
Indeed, there was a time when we sat at an adjoining table and begged for the scraps that fell. Today, we are in the driver’s seat – sitting at the head of the table, and there are hungry companies who want a piece of the pie.
Are we aware of the negotiating power we hold?
On Tuesday, inspectors from Ghana, shortly before Liza Destiny left for Guyana, boarded the vessel in Singapore and gave the thumbs up for helicopters to land on the helideck which will be used while the companies are operating in the Stabroek Block, about 100 miles offshore Guyana.
Accompanying the inspectors was an official from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.
Guyana does not yet have the capacity to conduct inspections of the likes of Liza Destiny.
We will need that capacity.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Locally, the political developments do not paint a bright picture for the next few months. The courts have ruled. It did not give a date for elections, but rather, pointed to the Constitution – Article 106 – where is says that the Government stands resigned and elections in three months.
However, the Government is insisting that the Voters’ List as is will leave thousands of voters who have come of age disenfranchised.
In any case, it was agreed last year for house-to-house registration. Money was budgeted and passed for it.
The Opposition sees house-to-house as a ploy to delay elections.
On Friday, the Opposition protested the Guyana Elections Commission, calling for adherence to the court ruling and for elections to be held in three months.
Aside from that, Guyana is receiving the daily dose of updates of the meetings between the President’s team and that of the Opposition Leader, on the selection of a new chairman.
That chairman is the key to elections, with President David Granger having said he is waiting on advice from GECOM to announce a date.
The President made it clear Friday that according to the CCJ orders, he has a role to play in submitting names.
The issue of a chairman is heading for a major political collision.
I am not sure our political leaders understand. Let me repeat what the business community and diplomatic community have been saying…the situation is an untenable one. It just cannot be allowed to continue.
Since December 21, in all my years, I have not seen the raw emotions including searing racism that have emanated from the social media and mouths of our people.
It was a perfect distraction for the people who are here engaging in our oil business.
While we are beating each other up, it is business as usual. Don’t be fooled. There is significant business happening. We have properties being snapped up and developed. We have new companies being formed. We have contracts being awarded.
In the oil business, follow the trail of the money.
The side deals who is getting what; the tax breaks; these are all what is important.
We are not against investors. We badly need them. However, we are being dictated to. In the meantime, we quarrel among ourselves.
There are many Guyanese, living here and abroad, who believe our politicians have been already compromised when it comes to oil. The question that should be asked is who is benefitting from the sideshow that resulted from the December 21 no-confidence vote.
There are some good things. We are still early in the game. We can still turn the tide.
There is an opportunity here for our leaders to show patriotism. There is an opportunity for us not to want to just pick and be contented with the low, hanging fruits.
We have to show the whole world we are united.
The people of Guyana have worked hard, toiled and remained with our heads up in the air. When many countries confused us with Ghana, and placed our people with much disdain on the immigration benches at airports, we continued.
We deserve to get a better oil deal. We deserve more mature politicians. We deserve to leave our children legacies that they can be proud of, because we have that fighting spirit.

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