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Opposition and Budget 2024

Jan 11, 2024 Editorial

Kaieteur News – The Opposition has come out early, and taken a big swing for the fences on the 2024 budget, which will be presented on Monday.

Money must be set aside in Budget 2024 for expenses related to settling the disputed US$214 million in audit expenses, as submitted by ExxonMobil. We agree, and give a hand to Opposition Economic Adviser, Elson Low for pointing out the necessity of doing so. This audit dispute is too big to be allowed to end up in the dustbin of could have, should have, would have, but with nothing being done to make that possible.

We have no issue with the Opposition identifying the US$214 million disputed amount, and commend its insight.  As Mr. Low noted, “

It would be typical of the PPP to say that they are going to go after returning that money for the Guyanese people and to take virtually no step to actually return the money to the Guyanese people.”There is no denying this, for it has been part of the now established standard practice of the government and its leaders.  Lots of impressive talk, and then silence, which means nothing was done, and when the issue is raised, then a new round of finger-pointing and quarreling begins all over again.  This US$214 million in disputed audit expenses already has given off the whiff of a soap opera, with several twists and turns, coverup and a slap on the wrist, and this is only from what became public.  Now it is being readied for arbitration.As an aside, it was interesting how ExxonMobil’s Guyana Country Head, Mr. Routledge, felt empowered enough to venture into the kind of employee that Mr. Bobby Gopinath is, and utter what we interpret to be a plea for him.  The Country Head feels free to step into the puddle of Guyana’s bureaucracy, but he does not have the partnership instinct to do right on US$214 million in tricky expenses from his company.

US$214 million is a huge sum for Guyana, and one that it cannot afford to relinquish.  It is approximately GY$42 billion, which is about 5% of the 2023 national budget.  For this reason alone, it ought to be pursued through the arbitration process with the appropriate vigor.  When we think of how much of a difference that GY$42 billion can make in the lives of Guyanese struggling to make ends meet, then it is worthwhile for the PPPC Government to earmark proper funds in Budget 2024 to take a stand for Guyana’s position in this matter. The fact that this US$214 million in disputed expenses has to go through this lengthy process, should emphasize to all Guyanese, regardless of their political beliefs, the kind of partner that this country has in ExxonMobil.  This company and its people are not partners, they are predators of the meanest sort.  This is where every inch of flesh and every drop of blood (all related to money) must be extracted from Guyana’s side and must be had by ExxonMobil.

To repeat: what kind of partner is this?  What kind of people are these?  What kind of tricks did they employ throughout the actual audit process?  What kind of arrangements were made under the table for a reduction in the disputed amount, only for one man to be identified to be the fall guy, and about which not a single citizen of this country is fooled?

It is why we laud Opposition Economic Adviser Low for pinpointing this issue, and calling for it not to be lost in the big budget shuffle, but to be a conspicuous item in it.  In the event that Guyanese may have forgotten, we urge them to recast their minds to all the high-level back and forth, and shenanigans, that were part and parcel of the US$214 million in disputed expenses.  It would not be surprising at all, given how this government and its people operate, if heading to arbitration is not part of one big farce.  There is not much space left to think otherwise, when all the talk about policy and process are done, when the chatter about technical this and technical that makes its way into the public domain.

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