Guyanese should demand that President Ali hire Jan Mangal

Aug 18, 2020 Letters

Dear Editor,

Now that we have had a change of regime, the nation’s attention should swiftly return to focus on that US $55 billion that the APNU/ AFC govt left on the table in negotiating that Exxon deal. The Coalition’s refusal to reconsider renegotiation of the contract, despite the exposure of the numerous flaws exposed by KN and a host of international NGO’s reeks of collusion. But all is not lost. There is still room for redemption by the new PPP administration. That redemption can only come through our own patriot expert, Jan Mangal. Guyanese need to call on president Ali to get Jan Mangal as the team leader in the evaluation of the Payara project proposal by Exxon.
The financing of a questionable expert, in the personality of Alison Redford by the Canadian High Commission to review Exxon’s Payara proposal brings into focus the stark reality of whether we are too prone to accepting gifts that are detrimental to us. Are we being penny wise and pound foolish?
Recent disclosure by Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat that, “the government is hoping to make a decision on Payara by this month-end so Exxon can make its FID”, does not augur well and should be considered as moving in the same vein as did the Coalition. Are our oil resources about to be sold for a mere pittance by successive regimes?
Dr. Jan Mangal is adamant that, “the Payara project should not be approved until there is a renegotiation of the Stabroek Block agreement which has been well ventilated as unfair and signed under suspicious circumstances.”
Granger was given Dr. Mangal as a present by the UNDP as his advisor on oil and gas and never made use of him. It would be criminal for this talent to not be given a chance by this new government to try to redeem something of essence, now that Payara presents an opportunity. Dr. Mangal and all Guyanese are cognizant of the fact that, “there is a long list of regulatory reforms and legislative updates necessary to empower government to prudently manage the petroleum sector. If this government signed away Payara at the beck and call of Exxon’s demand for speed, in the absence of the necessary legislative framework, it would be following in the footsteps of the Coalition. Dr. Mangal has the ability to use Payara as a bargaining chip to recover some of that US $55 billion which the Coalition left on Exxon’s table but will the supporters of the PPP demand that President Ali bring Dr. Mangal on board?
The Coalition supporters saw no evil in the contract their party signed with Exxon. I wonder if it will be the same for the PPP supporters should the government sign away Payara swiftly, in response to Exxon’s lure that there are “weather conditions” that need to be met for Exxon to make a timely Final Investment Decision.

Yours truly,
Rudolph Singh

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Guyanese should demand that President Ali hire Jan Mangal

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