The Global Witness Report invokes betrayal and hurt

Feb 05, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

It is with deep sadness and hurt that I pen this letter highlighting the gross corruption, mismanagement, weak leadership and small mindedness of this APNU government. Could it be true that they sold our future for limo rides, fancy hotel and restaurants? The Global Witness Report highlighted how we lost USD$55 Billion due to weak negotiations led by APNU.
It was uncaring too when our gold was given away to Omai for 5%, ATT got a monopoly of 80% that over charged us and now the oil agreement that gave away USD$55 Billion.
When Brazil got over US$700 million signing bonus for less oil and Suriname got US$100 Million for even lesser oil, we got a pocket change of US$18 Million for discovering the world’s largest reserve in 2019. And to add insult to injury, APNU was initially not forthcoming about the signing bonus.
Every Guyanese should be angry and alarmed by this never before seen scale of corruption in Guyana’s history. To put it into perspective, US$55 Billion can pay all public servant wages for 540 years with bonus or finance Guyana’s national budget for 40 years at the current rate without lifting a finger. This is all thanks to APNU and its leadership. They have placed a burden on Guyana so heavy that it will take generations to lift it off and if they are to return to power on March 2, that burden will just get heavier.
Its either APNU understood what they were doing and made decisions for their self interest and not the interest of the people or they simply got outsmarted. We were in a position of parity before negotiating the agreement and they threw it out the window either deliberately or because they were too weak to represent us. Either way, it would seem they have failed us in the worse way imaginable.
Over the past five years, APNU raised the cost of living by, among other things, increasing VAT on essential items that raised the prices for food, racked up billions in loans, put the Bank of Guyana into over draft, strained the auto industry by enforcing a ridiculous eight years maximum on imports and banning used tyres. They collected over $200 Billion in taxes a year while giving away $12 trillion in the oil deal. How more diabolical can you be as a government towards your people?
Now, they stand in front of us saying they will share out cash from oil, what cash? Where is it? It’s all empty promises; the only people getting cash in Guyana are the APNU big boys and girls and their allies, not me and you.
The APNU Presidential candidate must tell the people what he was doing while all this nonsense was going on.

Malcolm Watkins

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