Trickle-down oil business

Apr 21, 2023 Editorial

Kaieteur News – There is daily enlightenment of a sort coming from the government, given it that it comes up with all manner of rosy looking schemes to distract Guyanese from renegotiation.

The latest, thanks to the President himself, is that Guyanese families should benefit from ‘business’ opportunities from the highflying oil sector. Business from the oil sector is mixed news for Guyanese families. Even though most likely to be of the trickledown variety, it could still mean something for those struggling Guyanese who get these business scraps. But there is so much more that could be at work here. What kind of business, how much of it, and for whom are presently unknown. When trickledown oil business is profitable for local families, then it has its positives: earnings, self-respect, self-sufficiency. We have plenty of oil, and a tiny population, which means that all can benefit.

The uncertain news in this is that the President speaks of much time being spent in the cabinet on a ‘model’. It is a mystery whose form and substance should be in the public domain soon. But, as Guyanese know well, when announcements like these come from the national leader in bold, sweeping strokes, it has been more of the disappointing, and too little of the inspiring, for them.

The result is that a host of different cottage industries could spring up across Guyana. The smaller people providing their little portions of goods and services to the middlemen and other intermediaries. The latter are best positioned to capitalise on the downstream business opportunities from offshore oil operations. Could be food supplies, or local raw materials, or other products unique to Guyana.

The business should come, for we have some advantages for the oil companies’ subcontractors. Guyanese are English speaking, the exchange rate is favourable, with a cooperative population hungry for any piece of the nation’s oil bounty. It is sure to be better than what they have presently. The advantage to the government reduces to this: keep the people busy and their minds will be off the contract that sucks their blood. Put some money in their hands, and their voices would be stilled, their growing interest in getting more for their oil would be diminished.

Give the families that are involved a slice of the carrot, and they lose sight of the bigger profit picture. That is, as their hands and minds are occupied with oil ‘business’ through the meager pickings that they get, they could lose interest in the many oil skullduggeries raging. Moreover, families getting oil business now have a stake in their oil, and may feel a sense of loyalty, in essence, staying silent, becoming indifferent. Thus, this strategy of giving families their slivers of oil business is nothing but another clever ruse from a crafty bunch of Guyanese politicians and their foreign corporate bedfellows. They give-up a little, but gain much more.

Though housing some pluses, this new governmental ploy is designed to let ExxonMobil off the hook, helping it not to agree to renegotiation. In other words, give the people a penny (business from oil), and save a pound (no renegotiation of contract). Regardless of the angle that this presidential announcement is looked at, it reeks of another element of dividing and diluting citizens. Given something and soon they start singing hymns about how good ExxonMobil is to Guyanese. It is at times like these that we table tough questions.

Is the PPP/C Government and the PPP leadership taking its own counsel and coming to places about what is good for all Guyanese? Or are both taking guidance from the foreign corporate schemers to come up with these cake and bake productions designed to split Guyanese and distract their focus from the bigger picture, the bigger profits, where the biggest money for them could be had?Renegotiation of the 2016 contract is the biggest, most conclusive, most rewarding step. But the governing politicians come up with all kinds of lures to sidestep taking such action. Business for families from oil could be the newest gimmick to shortchange citizens. For when this government comes up with a gift horse like this, then the majority of citizens are going to get kicked and bitten.

business, Editorial, Government, oil, President

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Trickle-down oil business

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Trickle-down oil business

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