Corruption does grow in secret places

Feb 24, 2020 Dem Boys Seh

One thing dat does mash up any country is corruption. Dem have corruption on a small scale like a policeman tekking a raise pon de road or a clerk in an office tekking a raise to help people get a certificate.
Then you have big corruption like a leader collecting from a farrin country to give up something dat belong to the people but which de farrin country want. Dis happen in nuff countries. Dem have leaders who collect a bribe to mek a farrin business get special concessions like gold fields and diamond mines.
Of course, dem have countries with leaders who collect millions fuh dem oil. De money never enter de treasury suh it never reach de people.
Dem boys know corruption thrives in secret places, too. When oil expert Anthony Paul produce the first drafts of Guyana’s local content policy, he mek a special effort to ensure dat Guyana would not get tied down by confidentiality provisions.
He put in several mechanisms dat demanded full disclosure to the people of Guyana. He want to mek sure dem can see de contributions of oil companies to the development of de country. He insist dat de interests of the Guyanese people are paramount.
However, de Energy Department move Paul, and hire a British consultant, Dr. Michael Warner, to finish de policy. Dr. Warner had no experience developing a local content policy. He however, had ties to ExxonMobil.
Dr. Warner move Paul’s safeguards and, instead included several provisions in the new policy, which called for confidentiality in several areas. De new policy pointed to “legal constraints” which the Energy Department is yet to properly justify.
As a result, Guyana got a Local Content Policy which don’t protect the right of Guyanese to full transparency. Instead, it tie dem wid provisions dat demand secrecy.
It was the legendary Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States who always seh, “Everybody knows dat corruption thrives in secret places…”

Talk half and watch dem farriners!

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