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Govt should consult the Guyanese people on Exxon’s Payara project – Chris Ram

Aug 20, 2020 News

Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram said that the Government of Guyana should hold public consultations with the Guyanese people, as part of its review process for the Payara project, ExxonMobil’s third intended field development in the Stabroek Block.
Ram appeared on Kaieteur Radio’s newest show, Corruption, Governance & Justice, with hostess Kiana Wilburg.
A Canadian World Bank advisor, Alison Redford has been hired to lead the review of the controversial Field Development Plan (FDP). ExxonMobil has pressured both the former and current governments to grant swift approval to the project, before Guyana could undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of the project. Experts like Dr. Jan Mangal and Melinda Janki have said that if Guyana is to consider Payara, it should take all the time it needs.
Ram is positing that it is necessary to ensure local voices are heard.
“Don’t only ask Canadians. Don’t only ask foreigners,” he said. “Why not have open consultation in Guyana on the same issues?”
He explained that while Guyana welcomes the expertise and contributions of foreign helpers, Guyanese must have a voice.
“After all, it is our patrimony. It is not theirs… if you are saying this is our patrimony, then give us a voice.”
Pertinent to the interests of Guyanese are the provisions in the FDP, or the lack thereof, which speak to issues such as local content. Two FDPs have already been approved; the first for Liza Phase One which is already in production mode, and the second Liza Phase Two, which is on track for startup in 2022.
These approvals have beckoned concerns about the sheer magnitude of the costs foisted upon Guyanese taxpayers, which Guyana hasn’t even begun to scrutinise. Janki had told Kaieteur News that if Guyana is to consider Payara, it has to get the two earlier projects in order first, including ExxonMobil’s flaring at the Liza Destiny Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. Mangal said that the entire Stabroek Block agreement should be renegotiated first.
Rife discourse in the public has revealed discontentment with the consultant the Government has procured to lead the review of the project. There are multiple concerns. Firstly, Redford’s experience reviewing Field Development Plans (FDP) has not been proven. Secondly, she is a former politician, who was forced to resign her post as Premier of the Canadian province, Alberta following a sustained scandal over mismanagement of public funds for partisan and personal purposes.

 

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