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Glenn Lall’s tax waiver lawsuit is a class action lawsuit on behalf of all Guyanese

Aug 14, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

A recent headline said, “Glenn Lall steps out of boundary to challenge tax waiver…Exxon tells High Court” (KN, Aug 12, 2022).  Exxon’s lawyers claim Glenn Lall stepped outside his boundary when he moved to the High Court to challenge the Government of Guyana’s decision to grant extensive tax waivers to the oil operator and its affiliates. Nowhere in the world does a country pay the taxes on behalf of the oil operators. Our oil contract is the worst in the world.

Mr. Glenn is not stepping out of boundary; he is stepping within the boundary to stop the Exxon ball that is going towards the boundary for 4 or 6 runs. He wants to run them out or restrict them to a non-scoring ball. Except that in our case, it involves not runs, but the national loss of billions of US dollars over the long haul. It seems to me that it is Exxon that has stepped out of boundary by not paying profit taxes and other taxes in Guyana but paying such taxes in other countries.

Guyana –the richest poor country, with a currency lower than Haiti’s, and a lower standard of living than its CARICOM counterparts, can use all that tax money being lost to fund the multitude of problems not fixed after six decades of PNC and PPP rule. Everywhere you go in Guyana, everything needs fixing. Mr. Trump referred to countries like us as “sh…ole” countries. In my book and in the book of the masses of Guyanese people, Glenn Lall is doing God’s will to stop rapacious, parasitic foreign corporations from ripping us off in a rotten deal signed by the PNC and with which the PPP seems enormously comfortable, and are defending. Glenn is a national hero fighting for all the people. He has firm standing. Regardless of what Exxon thinks, Glenn has locus standi with the people of Guyana. He stands for us and with us, and a grateful nation stands right beside him. When the so-called good men are silent, and they bob and weave and are in hiding, including our religious folks, Mr. Glenn bellows our concerns loud and clear with great fervour. The Stabroek News also fights for the people in this oil giveaway.

Exxon, HESS and CNOOC must understand that Glenn speaks for the nation. Mr. Glenn is doing what the PNC and PPP should be doing in going to court to block loopholes and right all wrongs as the PPP promised to do during the election campaign. Instead, the PPP reneged and failed to use all leverage points available to it, and the PNC leadership is running away from the word “renegotiation.” Such is the calibre of our political parties and leaders who find it easy to betray their country, and give away the national patrimony, than to fight for and be on the side of the people. The PPP Government supports Exxon against Glenn in the lawsuit. Our Opposition and unions would not fight for renegotiation of the oil contract, but they will strike for huge increases in pay and want more benefits, and social services. Glenn, SN, and some Civic Society groups alone have their boots on the ground in this oil renegotiation issue. The Government boots and Opposition boots are marching along with the oil companies versus the people. They seem to want Glenn Lall to lose and for the oil companies to win. If Glenn wins the case, all Guyana wins. If Glenn loses, “the small man will be the real man, when he dead and gone,” as the song says. Both President Biden and the UN Chief have called on oil companies to pay up their taxes. Nation, it’s our wealth and our country, and we must care. Wake up Guyana!

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Jailall

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