Bhagwandin misleads when he suggests that the NRF Report has disaggregated data for the EMGL, HESS and CNOOC

I refer to Mr. Joel Bhagwandin’s letter dated 6-17, 2024 in which he claims the information I requested is in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Report. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bhagwandin’s answer is the usual ‘red herring’, in which he is once again attempting to divert attention away from the real issues I raised in my…

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Institutions in charge of gold are clearly broken

One of the most valuable non-renewable resources that Guyana has, apart from oil, is gold. The price for an ounce of gold on the World Market (June 16, 2024) is US$2,348.40 (https://www.google.com/search?q=price+of+gold&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1113US1113&oq=price+of+g&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAYsQMYgAQyCggAEAAYsQMYgAQyCggBEAAYsQMYgAQyBggCEEUYOTINCAMQABiSAxiABBiKBTIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDINCAYQABixAxjJAxiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQA);  and therefore, one pound of gold is US$37,574.40, as compared with a pound of sugar at US 19.35 cents and rice at US 18.15…

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Royalty discrepancy in EMGL Annual Report

Reference is made to the ExxonMobil Guyana Limited Annual Report 2023 (https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/locations/guyana/annual-report). In that report (Page 36), it is recorded that royalty paid is G$21,922,725,604.00, representing 2 percent of total revenue of G$1,108,897, 727, 566.00 (Table1). However, the royalty paid is not 2 percent of total revenue; instead, it is only 1.977%. The correct royalty…

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Public investment in brackish water shrimpers versus coastal artisanal fishers

Since few government officials respond to questions that are raised in the Press, we must thank Tejnarine Geer, Aquaculture consultant, for information on the brackish water shrimp project in Region 6 (https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/06/07/opinion/letters/brackish-water-shrimp-project-has-proven-to-be-tremendous-success/). Through your newspaper, I ask Mr Geer some follow-up questions: In 2021, Minister Mustapha informed that ‘$58M [was] being injected to up Region Six…

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Regarding Guyana’s life expectancy forecasts, Dr. Ramsammy should let the professional people provide expert advice

Reference is made to a letter written by Dr.  Leslie Ramsammy in response to my letter on the subject of life expectancy in Guyana (SN 5- 30-2024), and I would like to make the following observations. First, in Dr. Ramsammy’s letter he stated that ‘At the moment, Guyana’s life expectancy is approaching 71(years)…’.  (and) ……

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Unthinking paternalism displayed by the current government towards Guyana’s diverse Amerindian Villages and Communities

Dear Editor, Your editorial ‘Govt and the Indigenous’ (SN 02 June 2024, https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/06/02/opinion/editorial/govt-and-the-indigenous/) touches on the remarkably unthinking paternalism displayed by the current government towards Guyana’s diverse 200+ Amerindian Villages and Communities. What genuinely caring government would buy a job lot of 200 identical agricultural tractors and attachments and hand them out without considering the range…

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Guyana’s welcomed improved life expectancy, as reported by President Ali, is challenged by the absence of critical data

Dear Editor, On the occasion of Guyana’s 58th Independence Anniversary, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali is reported to have said that from 2020 to now (2024), the country’s life expectancy has increased by two years overall to 70 in males, and 74 for females. And that government’s new target is to increase overall life expectancy to…

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GPL will be paying up to US$50m to Qatari contractor for power ship that will sail off in two years

Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. has contracted a floating electric power station (‘power ship’) from UCI, a subsidiary of UCC Holding, a Qatari company, to provide additional electricity to Guyana’s electric power grid, which has recently been failing in a spectacular manner resulting in multiple hours-long power blackouts for GPL customers. Regarding the costs…

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