Does Exxon have the decency to play fair and square?

Aug 29, 2020 Letters

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Good day to ExxonMobil’s Country Manager, Alistair Routledge,
As you wake up to the land of many waters, enriched with a colourful multi-culture that reflects the flamboyancy of diversified but cheerful and beautiful people, do accept the humility and hospitality of a nation that wants to provide for her children and protect them from any form or shape of aggressive abomination. Welcome to the freshness of the cool sea breeze from the shores of the muddy water that embraces the Atlantic Ocean. Do smell the strong scent of Guyana’s ground coffee, planted with the hard working hands of Guyanese, tasting the sweetness of her brown/white sugar manufactured with the enticing smile of a proud, sweaty people, and creamed with the scalding milk from the land’s pure-bred country cows, pastured from the breaking backs of happy farmers. As you enjoy the toasted bread made from flour originated from your land, do indulge your sandwich accompanied with tasty eggs hatched from creoles fowls, fondly cradled by pleasant peasants. The sumptuous fruits you cannot resist, all grow from the fertile land of Guyana and picked with the eager hands of labourers who struggle to live on a week to week pay packet. Lunching and munching on fresh fish caught from the dark waters of the back damn is just as tasty (or tastier) as the unscaled fish coming in from the sea, caught by jovial fishermen, plying a trade entrusted with danger lurking in the dark night. Wining and dining is a special kind of fun and frolic in the evening, day or night that affords a unique exquisiteness only Guyana can replicate with its palatable plates and its gyrating rhythms.
Guyana finally got rid of a mob that was green with greed, greasy hands that filled their bulging pockets, lustful eyes that knew no limit for wants and needs, insatiable appetites that were always desirous of over sumptuous palates and corrupted and convoluted minds that were eager for collusions, readily. Mr. Routledge, you are no longer dealing with the unscrupulous, Machiavellian APNU+AFC Party who assiduously compromised integrity with dishonesty, fermented an obnoxiousness of abhorrence and discreetly kept the nation in abeyance with secrecy. You are now dealing with a reformed PPP/C Party that pervades a refinement for transparency, effuse an ambience of fragrant incense and committed to the translucency of accountability. What you were unfortunately accustomed to in the dark past is no longer applicable and possible with this youthful regime that prides itself with a new chain of command. As per your comment, “Guyana is one of the better opportunities for us in the ExxonMobil portfolio (but) it is not the only one. And indeed, if we don’t get the agreement as we are looking for on Payara (the company’s third Field Development Plan), the investment money will go elsewhere in ExxonMobil’s portfolio,” it undermines the foresight of peaceful coexistence and the issuance of a conspicuous threat. Sir, your boastful words lack integrity and sincerity of any distinguished company that proliferates the continuity of mutual harmony and friendship. They bemoan the disrespect for an impoverished nation that is attempting to build a future for its children from its own blood, sweat and tears and the blessings of its natural resources, rather than seeking alms and charity from the generosity of sympathetic donors. Your harsh and rash statement embarrasses and devalues the golden opportunity that Guyana wants to further help herself and her people with economic development rather than, allow a timely circumstance to derail its sociological enhancement and impede progress.
Guyana has nothing to lose by not signing the Payara deal and insists that, it is fully transparent, void of ambiguity, it reflects equitable fairness, it is profitably beneficial towards Guyana’s interest and it justifies the immediate development of the oil industry. Guyana can afford to wait, we are less than a million people with enough resources to survive any waiting period, now that the cheats are out of office. We did it so far without a penny from any oil money and now this oil revenue is a surplus. Exxon has a lot to lose from deviating investing in the third phase but also, Exxon has nothing to gain if they do not comply with our requirements. Can Exxon afford to miss this opportunity and allow another competitor to pursue the spoils of the Payara project? Does Exxon have the decency to play fair and square or are they an outfit of a “sanctimonious gangster” also? Are they brave and honest to accept the fact that their “offerings” are not the best? Can they equate any other contract in any other part of the world that is similar? Does Exxon believe that they can hold us under duress and demand that their conditions be accepted as ransom? The oil industry may be a new ball game to us to play, like baseball, but, we know how to play hard ball in cricket and learning a new ball game is well within our scope! So Mr. Routledge, your curve ball and fast ball do not scare us. We know how to score home runs too. Guyana has an eager crowd and its sporting audience can cheer for both sides when a run is scored, or, a batter is out! We appreciate a good player, so, let’s play ball, but, let’s play fair, Exxon.

Respectfully,
Jai Lall

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