The gas-to-energy project is a study in concealment

Jan 16, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- Why would a government so eager to plunge a nation into over $2 billion of debt be so reluctant to share the documents that justify such an audacious leap? After all, this is almost the same as the external debt that the PPP/C assumed in 1992.

The answer as to why the secrecy, it seems, lies somewhere between fear and contempt—fear of what transparency might reveal and contempt for the public’s demand for accountability.  The Wales Gas-to-Energy project is as opaque as it is ambitious. The deal has been shrouded in a fog of secrecy. This raises far more questions than it answers.

The mantra from the government has been simplistic: the project will halve electricity costs. Yet, despite repeated demands for evidence to substantiate this claim, the proof remains elusive. What the public has instead is a litany of obfuscation. This is not merely about numbers or feasibility. A government that cannot be forthcoming about a project of such monumental scale is a government that demands scrutiny.

In 2022, after relentless calls for transparency, the government staged a press briefing to assuage concerns. What transpired, however, was an affront to democratic norms. Editors and media owners were summoned, only to be instructed not to record the proceedings. Imagine that—the nation’s largest post-independence financial undertaking discussed in an environment designed that was less that transparent. The message was clear: the less the public knows, the better.

But the spectacle of avoidance didn’t end there. Following persistent inquiries from the media, a minister—supposedly the custodian of critical project information—claimed the documents could not yet be released. This admission came as the project barrelled forward unmoored from public scrutiny.

The argument that these documents are not ready for public consumption rings hollow. A project of this magnitude cannot, and should not, proceed without rigorous scrutiny. That the government has chosen to disregard this basic principle suggests either gross incompetence or a calculated effort to conceal uncomfortable truths. Neither scenario inspires confidence. The opposition formally requested that the project documents be submitted to Parliament, the forum designated for such deliberations. The result? A deafening silence that continues to this day.

To add insult to injury, the government’s response to further queries has been to send the media on a merry-go-around. When asked to release the documents, one minister directed reporters to another, who, in turn, professed ignorance and redirected them elsewhere. Meanwhile, the clock ticks, the debt mounts, and the public’s right to know is treated as an inconvenience rather than an obligation.

The government’s aversion to transparency becomes even more troubling when one considers the involvement of the U.S. EXIM Bank, a key financier of the project. A group of civil society activists has resorted to writing directly to the bank in a desperate bid for clarity. That such measures are necessary underscores the extent to which the government has abdicated its responsibility to inform its citizens.

As far as the government is concerned all the public needs to know is that the cost of electricity will be reduced by 50%. There is, of course, the matter of the present 25% electricity loss due to theft. This startling figure casts doubt on whether this 50% really amounts to a substantial reduction since if electricity theft is reduced there can be a 25% reduction.

The public has every right to ask: what is the government hiding? Are the project’s costs understated? Are the environmental risks downplayed? Is the promised reduction in electricity costs a mirage? These are not idle speculations but legitimate concerns born of the government’s own evasiveness. A government that operates in the shadows forfeits its moral authority to lead. The people of Guyana deserve better than a leadership that treats them as obstacles to be managed rather than stakeholders to be informed. This is not a matter of political posturing or partisan bickering. It is a matter of principle. When a nation’s future is mortgaged on a single project, the people have a right to see the terms of the deal. They have a right to know whether their leaders are acting in their best interests. The Wales Gas-to-Energy project, as it stands, is a monument to the government’s disdain for accountability. It is a stark reminder that power, when unchecked, breeds arrogance. The government’s behaviour suggests that it views transparency not as a duty but as a threat. This mindset is incompatible with the principles of good governance and must be challenged at every turn.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper.)

(The gas-to-energy project is a study in concealment)

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• accountability, barrelled forward, Peeping Tom, secrecy, U.S.-EXIM Bank

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