Opinion
Paying 2 Percent from its Profit, EMGL Robs Guyana of its Correct Royalty Amount
It has been reported that Guyana receives 52 percent of oil profits from ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) oil extraction operations. Given that Guyana is not a shareholder in EMGL, this is overly generous of a company that is expected to minimize cost and maximize profits for its shareholders. In fact, nowhere in the Production Sharing…
Critical Examination of the Ali Administration’s Oversight in the Oil and Gas Sector: Evaluating Broken Commitments and Vice President Jagdeo’s Limitations
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 122 – March 1, 2024 Introduction The Ali Administration has been promising continually that an independent, competent Petroleum Commission will be appointed to oversee the operations of the oil and gas sector. But like it has done in relation to the confirmation of…
Natural Resource Fund Appears to Be Missing US$27M
Analysts attempted to reconcile the 2020-2022 Guyana Natural Resource Fund royalties’ balance. To their dismay, there is a significant shortage of royalty payments in the years 2020 and 2022, 23% and 13% respectively. The Natural Resource Fund appears to be missing an approximate GY$5.6B (US$27M) in royalties, payments that Exxon and its affiliates should have…
Gov’t must update total offshore oil reserve figures
Imagine if you didn’t know the amount of money in your family’s primary bank account for the past two years. Would you borrow money at exorbitant interest rates when you didn’t need to? Would you skip on meals for your family because you thought you didn’t have enough money? It is coming up on two…
Strike should await the law and teachers should educate themselves
Dear Editor, I am an admirer of Justice Sandil Kissoon’s sagacity. However, I believe the judge made a mistake this time. If the status quo must be maintained, then it should return to work for pay. Let the rights and wrongs be examined in court while the teachers return to their students. If this is…
Three aspects should be covered in talks between teachers’ union and gov’t
There is indeed a real urgency to reach a satisfactory Teacher-union versus Government administration wages and salaries plus benefit package adjustments for teachers, some of whom are parents. Parents’ empowerment must also be considered additionally because of their special role in raising their children who will form part of the Guyana labour force. There are…
A proposal for 30% salary increase phased in by 10% over three years should be offered to the teachers’ union
The Teachers’ Union is demanding a 50% salary increase. To be paid in one-shot. The Government is offering 6.5%. There is a huge gap here. Pundits and Opinion-makers should offer up some numbers. How do we bridge this yawning gap? I suggest a 30% increase covering 3-years, to be phased in at 10% each year….
Cost of Living Index data is missing or unreliable
There had been apparent controversy regarding both prices and incomes data generated by official reports purportedly measuring the Guyana Cost of Living, reflected by the Consumer Price Index, CPI and the Nominal Gross Domestic Product, GDP. There is a further complication as the World Bank raised Guyana’s low income status to a high income status…
ExxonMobil and Politics
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 121 – February 16, 2024 Exxon is no stranger to politics. It understands the importance of billboards (India and Guyana) and the politics of Buses (the USA and the Tories BREXIT bus). Just in case anyone missed it, Exxon is now on a…