A unified front and intelligent negotiation

Jan 05, 2020 Letters

is our saving grace from divide and conquer

Dear Editor,

I agonised prior to writing this letter as to whether or not the focus should be about Jadgeo, or the giddy exhilaration over ‘First oil,’ a term I detest.
Jadgeo’s thirst to rule and control all things Guyana is almost insatiable, his obsession with power supersedes all other considerations, if anyone believes he will not be the power behind Ally should the PPP secure a win in March, then I implore you to pull your head out of you-know-where, please. Make no mistake, this letter is not an endorsement of the present power configuration; they have repeated some of the very same glaring missteps of the PPP when they were in control of the government. Despite this, however, I am of the view that a resurrection of the PNC, PPP in control
May be our only hope for a stable future, as the winner takes all formula is a prescription for disaster for our country. Both these parties need each other as counter weights to excesses, and the all important example to our people with an eye towards closing the age old ethnic divide that politicians stir for their own selfish and short sighted gains. As important as I believe the foregoing is, my emphasis will be on our relationship or rather our new relationship with the United States due to the discovery of oil in Guyana, our oil, and the operative word here is ‘Our’. However, try telling that to Exxon Mobil or their investors. Not only do we have no expertise in oil period, but Guyana is in a position where we find ourselves in a canoe with no paddle on the Atlantic regarding this company and their well documented record in dealing with countries such as ours, and their decades of experience in oil. The importance of oil to America was underscored by the almost immediate tumbling numbers on Wall Street and the rise in oil prices across the country once Trump’s assassination of the Iranian General was announced. What should be very instructive for Guyana and Guyanese was his reason for the drone strike, ” Protecting American citizens and American Interest around the World.”
Guyana’s Oil has placed us squarely in that sphere of ‘ American Interest’. We will either play ball according to their rules or else! Venezuela is an example of the or else, though they have controlled most of their oil 50% since 1968 sold to Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), they can’t give it away now, America has effectively shut them down. As stated previously, Guyana has no expertise in this commodity, Exxon will be calling all of the shots, we are in a position like so many poor persons hitting the lottery and end up being dirt poor some years, later due to their lack of experience in high finance. K News is currently running a story about the experience of Papua New Guinea’s natural gas and Exxon.
The IDB has already dumped water on our fire from the expected returns from oil flowing in our direction. No company invests its money to end up in a negative situation, the bottom line is always about profits. Social Responsibility, however, is not part of Exxon’s business model. The deck is stacked, the game is fixed in our dealing with Exxon Mobil. To my mind our only salvation is a United front in order for our country and by extension our people to benefit from this resource. Our politicians/ leaders MUST accept that a unity configuration of the two major parties PNC, PPP and if possible, some of the smaller entities joining hands for the greater good. The flip side of this scenario is Guyana learning a new dance move to Exxon’s and America’s tune or be prepared to reap the grapes of their wrath for ‘Our’ oil. A government of national reconstruction is our only hope from exploitation and domination. A unified front and intelligent negotiation or renegotiation is our saving grace from divide and conquer. Isn’t it time we bring true meaning to our motto of ‘One People one Nation one Destiny’?
Respectfully
Claudeston G. Massiah

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