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‘Renegotiation of oil deal not anti-business’ – APNU
…shows country’s seriousness about correcting imbalances
(Kaieteur News) – The Government of Guyana must seek more benefits for its citizens from the 2016 contract with ExxonMobil, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said on Friday.
The party at its weekly press conference told reporters that the renegotiation of the contract is by no means anti-business but would instead demonstrate the seriousness of the country in its bid to correct imbalances.
APNU’s Member of Parliament (MP) Riaz Roopnarine said that the party is firmly committed to renegotiation but not arbitrary nationalisation. He told reporters that where agreements are unfair or unbalanced, “things get serious”.
APNU Member of Parliament, Riaz Roopnarine
“The PNCR/APNU welcomes investment, respects lawful enterprise, and believes investors must have confidence in Guyana. But that confidence must be built on fairness, transparency, and respect for our sovereignty. Renegotiation is not anti-business. It is how a serious country corrects imbalances, protects its people, and builds a fairer relationship with investors,” he said.
Referencing the fight for independence, he reminded that it was not simply handed to Guyana but was fought for and negotiated.
“Making the small man a real man was not empty talk. It meant that the worker, the farmer, the vendor, the public servant, the young person, the pensioner, and the family trying to survive from month to month had to see themselves in the promise of Independence. It meant that national development could not be discussed from platforms while ordinary people remained poor, powerless, and pushed aside,” Roopnarine said.
The MP referenced the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) 60th Independence Symposium on May 21, 2026, where Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram reminded the country of Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham’s warning that Guyana had achieved political independence, but had not yet created a new economy. Ram noted that sovereignty must be accompanied by economic substance and a flag without an economy that works for the citizens is not enough.
The APNU believes that Burnham’s warning speaks directly to Guyana’s current situation, as today it is an oil-producing nation, with daily reports from the government on record growth, budgets, revenues and construction.
“There is also the billion spent on the celebrations for the 60th Independence Anniversary, yet many Guyanese are asking simple questions; “if the country is so rich, why are so many people still struggling? Where is the independence from poverty? From hunger? From low wages, high prices, and hopelessness among our young people?”
Roopnarine said, “The PPP Government appears willing to spend billions on celebration, ceremony, lights, concerts, banners, and public relations, but it does not show the same urgency to lift ordinary Guyanese out of economic hardship. Celebration has its place. But it cannot be a substitute for better wages, lower food prices, support for farmers, opportunities for young people, and real help for families under pressure every day.”
The MP highlighted that the people-centered development strategy of the party becomes important as development must start with people and not propaganda, with the households and not headlines.
“It must reach the worker, the farmer, the small-business owner, the young person, the pensioner, and the communities still waiting to feel the benefits of this oil wealth. That is a modern expression of the same principle Burnham advanced: the economy must be judged by what it does for ordinary people,” he added.
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