Consult Guyanese on projects funded by their wealth - Ram to Govt.

Consult Guyanese on projects funded by their wealth – Ram to Govt.

Feb 23, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Now that the International Energy Conference and Expo 2022 has drawn the curtains on the foreign dominated event, Attorney-at-Law and civil society activist Christopher Ram, believes that Government now owes its people equal respect, by engaging them in like manner on projects that will not only be undertaken in their backyards, but funded by their wealth.
Ram made this call during an exclusive interview with this newspaper earlier this week.

Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram

According to Ram, “now that we have spoken with the foreigners, it’s time that we speak with the Guyanese and the very issues, the discussions on Amaila and the Gas to Shore and all of those things, it’s time that we have an internal discussion”.
The activist argued that Guyanese remain the major stakeholders in the country’s development and must not be ignored by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government.
Elucidating further, the Attorney told Kaieteur News, “there are important matters still to be discussed and decided.”
He posited, “We probably heard more about plans for Guyana at an International conference.” The government, he said, seems more willing to speak to foreigners about plans “for our country than it is prepared to speak with us Guyanese and so we need to have a freer type of arrangement where there is an interaction and where there are different sides to the positions or arguments, so that we can come up to some kind of consensus and in fact, this is what our Constitution requires.”
Ram was keen to note too that facilitating consultations with Guyanese should not be seen as a favour to the people of Guyana, as this is the responsibility of the government.
He also stressed during his interview that a significant fraction of the country was able to participate in the International Energy Conference and Expo this year due to, “the prohibitive” price tag that was attached.
During the International Energy Conference and Expo, over 800 delegates were said to have participated from more than 25 countries, while 150 businesses were on display at the Expo, with a mere 40 being local.
It must be noted too, that the event served as a platform for Guyanese to finally receive updates on massive projects to be funded by taxpayers’ dollars as well as monies garnered from the oil and gas sector.
For instance, it was only during this forum that Guyanese were made to understand that the gas to be had from the Stabroek Block is barely enough to be used at the gas fired power plant with the remainder being able to go towards the production of about 3,700 barrels of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) used for cooking, rather than be used for fertiliser (Ammonia, Urea and other agro-processing byproducts), solid waste pyrolysis and even a cement plant as was assured by the administration.