Can collusion be conceptualized in a better way?

Oct 26, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
When it was announced in 2019 that Tullow oil had discovered oil in the Jethro and Joe 1 wells in the Orinduik block in August and September respectively, the public was expecting a better contract than Exxon’s two percent royalty, having been promised better contracts, going forward by Trotman. Lo and behold! Tullow got a one percent and recoverable, much to the dismay of the people.
At that time I was wondering why no condemnation of the Coalition from the opposition PPP. Little did I know that the Coalition was just following a precedent set by the PPP in the Persaud/Ramotar giveaway in the Kaieteur and Canje deals. The Coalition had joined the “soup drinkers’ club” and the creators of the club (PPP) dare not point an accusing finger – having set that precedent.
I am now beginning to get the gist of what Jan Mangal meant, when he had said that our oil contracts would have been worst off in the hands of others – a statement that continues to earn him resentment. Given the facts available, one has to cringe at the audacity of the usual suspects.
Reinvigorated and empowered by a certain post, the threat from a certain official is tantamount to terrorism unleashed on the citizenry – a bullyboy approach to silencing critics.
Back to the blocks. In handing out the Canje block on a platter, Ramotar added another gift – US$500,000 as precontract cost at the expense of the state.
I wonder what was the enticement or how he interpreted the statement from Robert Persaud that, “these people are patriots”, his words – to justify giving the owners $100 million from state funds for no specific reason.
Imagine a government elected by the people to look out for their best interest, giving out the rights to an oil block adjacent to one with proven reserves to a company with no proven financial or technical ability to extract oil or gas – granting that company rights to dispose of that block through sale and specifically exempting that company from taxes on profits made on that sale then adding 100 million dollars of the people’s money as a bonus but disguised as precontract cost for the company!
Can the term collusion be conceptualized in a better way?
I need some expert help on the following!
Let’s suppose, for argument sake, that Exxon did not find oil in the Stabroek block, would Guyana have been obligated to pay the US$960 million that Exxon claimed was their bill for their search for oil as soon as they made their first discovery?
Yours respectfully,
Rudolph Singh

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