Fossils, Tricksters, and Exploiters Continue to Plunder Guyana

Oct 05, 2024 Letters

---

Dear Editor,

Guyanese like everybody else want wealth, but Guyanese won’t stand against their beloved political parties that are in their way to achieve their wealth, so how will they get their wealth if they won’t protest against their political parties, only experts in this subject can explain. I once heard a grandmother telling her grandson, “Why don’t you go to the sugar estate and beg management for a “lil-wuk”?, to which the grandson replied, “Burnham nationalized the sugar estates so they belong to us now, so why should I go beg anybody for a “lil-wuk”?.

Unfortunately, the majority of Guyanese have the mentality like the grandmother where Guyanese don’t think about managing Guyana’s wealth as owners, but give it away, then go beg the “new owners” mostly foreigners for a “lil-wuk”, a policy being championed and implemented by Guyana’s leaders. The PPP has come up with the perfect political trick, borrow money, give Guyanese paltry cash grants and “lil-wuk” from this spending, and Guyanese thank them saying this is better than what the PNC gave them. A perfect example is the PPP pumping borrowed money into the Rose Hall Sugar Estate, and the people referred to the PPP as divine beings from the holy books for the “lil-wuk” they received, not thinking this is not from the PPP but from debt taken in their name. The PPP leaders then say how much more they invest in Guyanese more than the PNC. Guyanese should ask themselves how much debt did the PNC incur compared to the PPP, I have to now defend the PNC, a party just like the PPP that should leave the political landscape of Guyana and disappear into the sunset.

Guyanese would rather accept a “lil-wuk” as cooks, cleaners, weeders, landscapers, pet attendants, handymen and women, porters, drivers, security guards, parking attendants, washers, etc, in exchange for the plundering of trillions of dollars of their oil, gold, diamonds, manganese, bauxite, timber etc. MP Bharrat Jagdeo now calls all those who criticize his mismanagement of Guyana’s oil as “Fossils”, he is finally onto something, except including himself also as a fossil who has been in Guyana’s government for more than half of the time since Guyana gained independence, Jagdeo along with the other fossils collaborate or stay silent as Exxon plunders Guyana’s crown jewel, it’s oil fossils. LOP Aubrey Compton Norton has recently emerged from his fossilized state with plans of managing the oil sector to benefit Guyanese, which sounds like he copied or borrowed Bharrat Jagdeo’s plans for the oil sector when Jagdeo was in opposition.

This is the same Norton when asked about these crucial oil issues a while ago spoke about orgasms instead, looks like life in the State House is so sweet people would become the biggest sell-outs, liars, and hypocrites to get in there, things are looking very bleak for Guyanese to benefit from their oil, since it looks like which party gives more to Exxon will win the State House as if Exxon is not getting enough. Exxon is already shipping out Guyanese valuable oil fossils, it is high time they did Guyanese a big favour by shipping out the useless fossils as well, being the political, civic, and religious leaders, the principal one being PPP’s Bharrat Jagdeo.

Bharrat Jagdeo along with Vickram Bharrat say their model of managing the oil sector is among the best in the world, and other countries want to follow Guyana’s model, it’s time someone asked them to name which country in the world has 2% royalty, no taxes, no ring-fencing, no parent company full liability insurance from oil spills, no oil meters at the pumps and non-existent environmental protection for 90% of their oil fields. With tensions rising in the Middle East, oil prices usually spike, the Bharrats should say what strategy they have to make Guyanese benefit from this spike in oil prices.

Bharrat Jagdeo instead of acquiring a team of oil experts to manage the oil sector spends his time reading newspapers to see who criticizes him, so he can attack them at what he calls his press conference. With all the magic trick shows in the oil sector so far, the feature presentation trick is about to commence in Guyana, being the Wales Gas Plant. First, the Government and Exxon sell the trick, that gas generated from oil production can be “monetized” for revenue and also used to produce power for local consumption. Like tricksters they show the benefits in one hand but hide dangers in the other, Jagdeo says this is such a good investment even Exxon will be investing, what he doesn’t say is that no Exxon shareholder in their right mind will invest in that gas plant, any investment Exxon makes will come from Guyana’s oil and Guyana will have to match it with Guyana’s oil profits plus obviously debts on Guyanese backs. Jagdeo says Guyana will sell gas to Suriname and Brazil, with Brazil being a gas-producing giant and Suriname soon to come on stream with its own gas production, this would be like selling wood to a forest dweller since Guyana can’t tap into the Euro, Asia, or North American market as they have their own reserves and suppliers already.

Jagdeo says the gas plant will produce power for Guyana, but he doesn’t want to hear about cheaper alternatives and still won’t produce data this plant will benefit Guyana. The gas plant is going ahead and the Guyanese sat there and allowed it to happen, not knowing what they have got themselves into, this is the perfect legal trick oil companies and sell-out leaders perpetuate on their countries. Guyana’s oil profits that should be going to Guyanese and debt incurred by Govt. on Guyanese backs will create a large pool of money around the gas plant, this money will be shared by oil companies, their subsidiaries, partner firms, contractors, sub-contractors, consultants, suppliers, and the local sell-outs with companies close to them will get some local content while digging a mass grave for Guyanese with poverty, debt, and pollution. Red flags are already evident with this expensive venture for Guyana that is destined to become a dead white elephant for the Guyanese.

Firstly, when Exxon and Jagdeo say something is good for Guyana means it’s bad. Secondly, Exxon nor Jagdeo cannot provide comprehensive and technical data to support their words that the plant will be beneficial to Guyana. Thirdly, Exxon nor Jagdeo wants to hear about crucial policies to monetize the oil for Guyanese like taxes and ring-fencing of oil projects. Fourthly, neither Exxon nor Jagdeo wants to talk about cheaper alternatives to provide power to Guyana preaching the gas plant will be Guyana’s ultimate saviour, and finally, the name Brassington is associated with the gas plant. All Guyanese will get from this plant is a “lil-wuk” being unskilled slave-like low-paying jobs. So Once again Guyanese are getting a choice, stay silent and accept “lil-wuk” or fight for their rightful share of their wealth and get “big money”, so once again Guyanese, what will it be?

R.David

---

• Exxon, Guyanese, MP Bharrat Jagdeo, PPP, Secondly, stream, Vickram Bharrat

---