Govt. fails to make key disclosures, despite promising transparency in oil sector

Dec 17, 2019 News

By Kemol King

The Department of Energy conducted a hasty press conference yesterday at its Brickdam office, leaving reporters with more questions than answers.

[From left] Senior Legal Officer, Joanna Simmons; Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, Department of Energy; Crude Marketing Specialist, Virginia Markouizos

Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, delivered a statement on a series of matters before the Energy Department ahead of First Oil, and provided a very limited window for questioning by media representatives. The principal matter – that of the trade of Guyana’s Liza crude – took up the bulk of the brief question and answer segment, and even that matter has not been given complete clarity by the Energy Department.
Despite this, the Energy Director said that yesterday’s press conference was the last one for the year, and that further notices will be published by way of press statements. This restricts the media corps’ ability to secure important details and cross-question the claims of Energy officials, for the information of the Guyanese public, ahead of First Oil, which is on course to start in a matter of days.
Dr. Bynoe sought to assuage concerns about the circumstances of the bidding process to a series of oil companies, after an international publication, Bloomberg, notified the Guyanese people of the intended sale and its circumstances before Government did.
Bloomberg had noted that the face-to-face nature of the meeting is unusual for the type of sale. The Energy Director and his Crude Marketing Specialist Virginia Markouizos sought to convince the local press that Bloomberg did not tell the whole truth, and that the face-to-face meeting is a necessary avenue, since the initial discussions about the sale would also include discussions about the quality of the Liza crude, and not just the price. He insists that the choice was made in Guyana’s best interest.
Dr. Bynoe was asked why the Government is so reactive instead of proactive on matters such as this, and he said that all matters do not necessitate notifying the public during or before their execution. He said that some matters are better to be kept confidential, with notice provided when they have concluded.
Furthermore, when asked when the Department was going to notify the public about the bidding exercise, the Energy Director said that Government would have informed the public after all was said and done.
There have been multiple instances of reports being made by international publications like Bloomberg, on matters about which the Department of Energy has kept the Guyanese public in the dark.
Asked by Kaieteur News whether the bidding process will be accessible to the public, Dr. Bynoe said that it will be transparent every step of the way, and that Government will ensure the people are kept updated on developments as they occur. However, he said that the press will only be notified of important developments after the conclusion of the processes, as he has said that this is one of the cases for which it is better to tell the public after the fact.
His Crude Marketing Specialist, Markouizos, sought as well to put reporters at ease by telling them that the market will regulate itself. She said that the trading market requires transparency and that that requirement will encourage the traders to ensure their talks with Government are above board. Similarly, Dr. Bynoe said that Government’s interest in getting good terms for Guyana’s crude means that it will not allow any untoward business to be conducted.
“Government will be keen to share as much as it can when it can, to allow you to gain confidence that there’s nothing happening behind the scenes, nothing nefarious taking place,” the Director said.