Johns and Jacks, maybe a Jill or so

Jul 11, 2025 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

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Hard Truths by GHK Lall

Kaieteur News – Ah, this oil!  This oil inheritance of Guyanese.  The people it brings here, the spells it casts on the people running here.  Three Johns, I hear and read of; and wherever there’s a John, there is a Jack, maybe a Jill or two.  It is that kind of time, the nature of the culture.  I see three Johns, would stretch that to encircle one more, and he is the biggest, baddest one of all a la US General John J (“Jack”) Pershing.  For the inquisitive, General Alistair Routledge fits that bill to a tee.  They didn’t call General Pershing, “Black Jack” for nothing.

Right by the side of Mr. Routledge, there is that original John.  Not of the New Testament Gospel, but John Hess expounding on his capitalist commandment.  Guyana under the PPP Government is a democracy.  Fire and brimstone to those saying otherwise; noise, the noise of infidels and subversives.  Once the oil flows freely, cheaply, and smartly (he and Dr. Jagdeo know what the latter means), then Guyana is a democracy, a paradise for pillagers and plunderers.  The oil is under the water, so that makes what is going on with it, high seas piracy.  Guyanese have learned about a creature called a drug submarine, what is kept from them is why so much about their oil patrimony must remain a secret, while the galleons sail away laden with their treasure.  John Hess is a great American, is poised to reap his sweet rewards.  He had enough Guyanese riches to choke a crocodile.  He hands over to the man from Chevron, with Alistair and Darren already having figured out how Guyana’s oil will be divvied up between them.  As it was in the time of John the Baptist, so John Hess has Guyanese hanging onto his every word.  A real miracle worker he is, for there are the leading PPP, PNC, and AFC stars all finding common ground for agreeing for the first time.  Don’t rock any boat.  Not the oil boat, most of all.  Why stress the brains of the Americans and push them to seek alternative leaders and groups…?

John Hess is part of the Guyana oil foundation.  John Collings, the Exxon business whiz and money maestro, is the penthouse promoter.  There is half and then there is half.  The Arabs and Hindus can’t teach him mathematics, or the Italians about bookkeeping.  There are people in Texas for that, and they are so good that they make US$10.4 billion and US$2.6 billion balance.  If I have a scale like that, I could own not just Bourda Market and Stabroek Market, but Haymarket and the Aqueduct Flea Market as extras.  From John Hess’s version of democracy to John Collings’ razzle-dazzle with Exxon’s income and other financial statements.  Both Johns should be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for creativity in a clinch.  Mr. Collings’ creativity was unnecessary.  Because the Guyanese leaders who should march him (and his numbers) up against a wall, in the manner of those old-time New York and Chicago cops), all decided that discretion is better than valor.  It is election season.

Surely, Jagdeo, Singh, Norton, Hughes must know that 10.4 and 2.6 can never be equal, with cost recovery squeezed in to inflate?  They should be in the forefront of those ripping accounting grandmaster John Collings et al a new one.  But elections are here.

Into this tricky mix, came the third John, with the moniker of John Barrasso.  The last name alone conjured images of Puzo, and his group didn’t disappoint.  Mohamed the Younger is anti-Guyana, which means he is anti-America.  One objective only could come from such a construction, an even brighter and smarter one:  Mohamed is a Maduro man and a Venezuela hand.  My God!  The lengths that men go to retain power, to be close to the greasy oil money (think palm of the hand).  One American, one John seh dah it is suh, and it tek three PPP chiefs fuh seh is nah suh.  The president, the real president (Jagdeo), and the one with grand visions on being president (Nandlall).  Nothing!  John Barrasso from America put out tweets and three Guyanese political generals lost their teeth and tongues.  Nobody knows, nobody owns.  Who makes decisions for Guyana?

There’s the fourth John, Mr. Black Jack himself, General Alistair Routledge.  Mr. Field Marshall himself, the man running, deciding for, Guyana.  He sits back and gets Col. John Collings to fight a rearguard defensive action, and alongside the PPP unload the distraction of John Barrasso on Mohamed the Younger.  The bigger issue is not who works for Venezuela, but who works for America (Exxon).  I know of America First.  It has come to Guyana, thanks to the PPP, PNC, and AFC.  Congrats to all the Johns (and Jacks): well, done!

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

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• GHK Lall, Guyana Oil, Jack and jill, John Hess, oil

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