Chris Ram
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 151 – January 4, 2025 As the first column for the new year, we wish all Guyanese and especially readers of this column a successful, healthy and productive 2025. Introduction “No Guyanese could agree with this.” These were the unequivocal words of then-presidential…
“African states must unite (for the continent) or sell themselves out to imperialist and colonialist exploiters for a mess of pottage…”: Kwame Nkrumah. Or as our own Cheddi Jagan told the National Assembly in 1983 in a speech following the invasion of Grenada: “Right now Washington is …hoping to get these puppets one by one…
Introduction Having established in the previous parts the considerable assistance that Guyana can draw from the Churchill Falls case in pursuing renegotiation of the 2016 Agreement, this part examines the specific mechanisms available under the 2016 Agreement that allow Guyana to achieve that end. Additionally, I argue that ExxonMobil’s recent categorical refusal to consider any…
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 148 – December 24, 2024 Introduction The two previous parts set out the parallels between the Canadian Churchill Falls case and Guyana’s 2016 PSA. Both deal with agreements governing natural resources and involve the legal principle of sanctity of contract, which is common…
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 147 Last week’s part 1 of this mini-series dealt mainly with the court case and subsequent renegotiation of the Churchill Falls Hydro project in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In that case, the Canadian Supreme Court rejected an application for an…
Contrary to the clear wishes of the Ali Administration and its sidekick ExxonMobil, the call for the renegotiation of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (Exxon PSA) will not likely end soon. I would not be surprised if a cohort of youths in the year 2040 would be asking why Raphael Trotman signed such a diabolical…
Introduction The recent dismissal by Vice President Jagdeo of a potential referendum on the ExxonMobil contract renegotiation exposes deeper questions about the government’s true commitment to securing better terms for Guyana’s oil resources. His announcement ruling out a referendum alongside the 2025 elections – notably made without any statement from President Ali – adds another…
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 144 Thanksgiving has been silently making its presence felt in Guyana with the Black Friday sale looked forward to by shoppers spending on things they do not need because they will save on Black Friday spending. The idea is an incident of Thanksgiving…
Introduction The first visit to Guyana by an Indian Prime Minister since 1968 played out well for Narendra Modi back home. The twin objectives of the three-day visit were the CARICOM-India Summit and bilateral talks with Guyana, exchanges between the world’s most populous country and part of the Indian subcontinent and a tiny region of…
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 143 The world continues to process the stunning outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, with Donald Trump’s unexpected return to power sending shockwaves through global markets. While the political implications are far-reaching, the focus of this column is an examination of what Trump’s…
