A Christmas Wish for a Referendum: Let’s Reclaim Our Oil Wealth

Dec 22, 2024 News

---

Kaieteur News- This Christmas, whether you are enjoying pepper pot, baked turkey, garlic pork, chicken masala, or potato salad, here is what I truly wish for ALL Guyanese: a referendum on the ExxonMobil oil contract. It is time we, the people of Guyana, decide what we want from our oil and stop accepting the scraps being thrown at us by the PPP, PNC, and ExxonMobil.

What’s happening with our oil wealth isn’t just wrong—it’s pure, unadulterated evil. Words like robbery, looting, or disrespect don’t even begin to capture the betrayal unfolding before us. This is beyond all that. Remember the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew? Well, the PPP and PNC have sold out Guyana’s birthright to ExxonMobil for less than a bowl of chicken stew—no, for a bowl of Crapo stew.

Five Years of Oil, Still Living Like Beggars

On December 19, 2024, we marked five years of oil production, and by now, Guyana should have been debt-free. Every household should be collecting a handsome sum of money monthly from our oil wealth—without having to renegotiate the contract.  Instead, Guyana is still borrowing money to run the country, while ExxonMobil is walking away with billions of US dollars annually, and half the population is scrambling for a $100,000 cash grant (roughly $500 USD).

This isn’t just about the lopsided contract—it’s about the complicity of our leaders in betraying their people.

Where’s the 20%?

Fourteen months ago, ExxonMobil was supposed to return 20% of the massive Stabroek Block to Guyana under the contract. That portion could have been sold to pay off our national debt and double salaries across the country. Yet, here we are—empty-handed and still waiting.

What do you call that? Evil, or pure evil? In a country drowning in debt and paying high interest on loans, this is nothing short of a national disgrace.

No Meters, No Accountability

For five long years, Exxon has been pumping our oil, and Guyana doesn’t even have a SINGLE of its own meters at the oil pumps to track what’s being extracted. To make matters worse, when our auditors requested access to Exxon’s meters, the company bluntly refused and wouldn’t even reveal their location.

Would any honest business partner behave this way? What do you call that if not pure evil?

Robbing Us Blind, and No One Cares

Audit reports have exposed Exxon robbing Guyana blind, yet the PPP and PNC remain silent. Not a word, not a single action.

Is this leadership?  No, it’s betrayal.

Profits Funneled Elsewhere

Exxon is taking three-quarters of our oil profits daily to fund other oil projects, and Guyana has no say in where that money goes or how it is spent.

What do you call that?  A fancy roast pork platter for Exxon’s Christmas dinner, while the people of Guyana are left with hot dogs?

No Oil Spill Coverage

If an oil spill destroys our land, rivers, and livelihoods, we are on our own. The PPP is telling us – the Guyanese – that we will have to find our own money to take Exxon to court for compensation. The PNC, as usual, remains silent.

What do you call that?  A disaster waiting to happen.

$45 Million a Day, No Taxes

Exxon pumps 650,000 barrels daily, earning $45 million USD a day, yet they don’t pay a single cent in taxes. When asked to implement a Windfall Tax on Exxon’s excessive profits, both PPP and PNC refused, saying, we are not going after that at this time.

What does that mean for you? Pepper pot for ExxonMobil and their shareholders, filled with every meat you can imagine, while you, the rightful owners of that oil, get pepper pot sauce and stale bread.

No Ring-Fencing, No Millions for You

Because these leaders refuse to ring-fence oil projects, Exxon is freely taking billions of US dollars in profits every year. This is money that could have put approximately $300,000 a month into every household’s bank account.

What do you call that? The best Christmas cake with icing and cherries on top for Exxon, while Guyanese settle for dry black cake with no rum.

Exploitation Without Transparency

Exxon is also pocketing billions in exploration costs, finding oil daily, and refusing to disclose what they have found. Meanwhile, they boast to their shareholders that Guyana is their crown jewel.

What are our leaders saying? Prepare your fingers for the next election.

Contracts and Deals Without Guyana’s Input

Exxon awards massive contracts and makes rental and leasing deals worth hundreds of millions of USD—all without Guyana having any say.

In what part of the world does a 50/50 partnership work like this? One partner makes all the decisions, while the other sits silent like a church mouse.

The Final Insult

Here’s the kicker: None of these issues require renegotiating the contract.

Windfall Tax? Can be implemented today.

Ring-fencing? Just a simple decision.

Meters at the oil pumps? A quick fix.

All these problems could be solved with a single letter or phone call to Exxon. But our leaders refuse.

The Choice is Ours

If the PPP and PNC won’t act on these simple issues, do you really think they will renegotiate the contract to benefit you in 2025?

This is why I am demanding a referendum. It is time for us, the people of Guyana, to decide how our oil wealth is managed and what we deserve from it. These leaders have proven time and again that they won’t stand up for us.

A Christmas Wish for Change

As you celebrate this Christmas, remember: We all deserve better. Our future generations deserve better. Let’s demand better—for today, for tomorrow, and for the many prosperous years ahead.

Merry Christmas, Guyana. Let’s fight for the brighter future we all deserve.

(A Christmas Wish for a Referendum: Let’s Reclaim Our Oil Wealth)

---

• baked turkey, chicken masala, garlic pork, oil wealth, or potato salad

---