Obstructionists

Jul 24, 2023 Editorial

Editorial…

Kaieteur News – A few courageous Guyanese are fighting for the safety of their environment, battling for some semblance of justice from this massive oil patrimony. As conscientious citizens take matters before the court, their own government is waging a war against them. The PPP/C Government is increasingly manifesting signs of taking no prisoners, through words that reflect a vitriolic, venomous, and no-holds barred approach. The stakes are high, be it for the much-publicized gas to energy project at Wales, or a full parent company guarantee in the event of a catastrophic oil spill, or renegotiation for better contract terms from ExxonMobil. The leading lights in the Government dig in their heels and lash out at those Guyanese bold enough to raise a hand in objection, or seeking to slowdown the ExxonMobil and PPP/C juggernauts.

The latest government descriptive, a clear-cut slur, for those going to court for the Wales gas to energy project to ventilate their anxieties is “obstructionists” which has been attributed to the Hon. Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC. “Obstructionists” may have a gloss about it, but it is a code word for subversives. This is where the intensifying ugliness and bitterness surrounding this nation’s oil wealth, and attendant developments, have deteriorated to, and terminate. The President himself had dismissed Guyanese getting in his way with questions about oil and gas, and related projects, as critics and naysayers, among other sharp insults. If the relatively more subdued President and Attorney General can rage like this on the public stage, then one can only imagine the choice expressions of the man in charge of Guyana’s oil and gas sector, Vice President Jagdeo. He is not known for either nuanced language or moderate comportment, especially when anyone challenges his management of the crucial oil sector.

Now, if “obstructionists” is the interpretation of what Guyanese concerned about the Wales gas to energy project are all about, then it does not take much to appreciate what the PPP/C Government’s top people have to say in private about such obstructionists. There are still some Guyanese who want to know more, who want the t’s crossed and the I’s dotted, so that they can have the peace of mind that they have done all they can to protect themselves and others. Also, they want to know that the government has used its wide powers skillfully to ensure that Guyana’s interests are well-served.

The PPP/C Government, however, is not interested in any such approach or action. A closer look and comparison indicate that the government of today is more in the mold of the kick-down-the-door bandits that inflicted a reign of terror on Guyanese for a lengthy period. Guyanese are alarmed, and they want nothing but that their government does everything in its power to protect them. Instead of doing so, senior functionaries in the government see dissenting Guyanese as enemies to be feared, and the ones to be stopped dead in their tracks, before they gain any footing.

The citizens who escalate matters about the environment or the Wales gas to energy project to the local High Court have exposed another nerve in the PPP/C Government’s leadership apparatus. Where before the independent entities in Guyana’s Fourth Estate that were probing for crisp and clear answers about oil governance were viewed as major spoilers and troublemakers, they now have company from the judiciary. Those jurists who do not decide on oil sector matters, as the government expects, can expect a trial by ordeal from angry politicians. Given what has been publicly articulated, when members of Guyana’s judiciary do not adjudicate oil-related matters in a predictable manner, then they also could qualify for the label of “obstructionists.”

If their crime is being “obstructionists” to the dangerous and threatening avalanche that is ExxonMobil and its racing away projects, then it is a small price for some Guyanese to bear. What the PPP/C Government should recall is that in many other countries, yesterday’s obstructionists were the realists that transformed into the prophets and protectors of today and tomorrow. It would be better for the PPP/C Government to come to its senses: the more it berates Guyanese as “obstructionists”, the more likely it is that there will be more of them.

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Obstructionists

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