Opinion
The PNC can say PPP bill to exclude 22 Natural Resource Fund stakeholders is a power grab
So now we know why after a year and a half the Guyana Natural Resource Fund – NRF (the money we get from oil) held in a New York Bank was not activated and the oil money was just sitting there not earning any interest. It appears as if the Government was figuring out how…
Corruption has kept us poor
US Ambassador Lynch is to be applauded for her strong statement in observance of International Anti-Corruption Day, which is an annual opportunity to bring attention to the continued importance of combating corruption, ensuring accountability, and fostering transparency. Around the world, corruption threatens security, hinders economic growth, and siphons away public and private resources. In Guyana,…
The path to pay raises lie in the renegotiation of oil contracts
Unions in Guyana must understand that hefty pay raises are tied to renegotiation of the current oil contracts that gave away the kit and caboodle. The PNC gave away the national patrimony, and the PPP is OK with that. The Department of Public Information just released an article essentially saying that the PPP is adamant…
Gov’t seems to be in a rush to approve Yellowtail though serious questions unsettled
On the weekend the government released an article stating that the Stabroek Oil Block is not up for renegotiation. It cited a number of reasons for its position including the sanctity of contract, the stability clause and because Exxon lost US$22 billion last year. The article reads like a marketing campaign for why Guyana should…
Oil exploration and production offshore Guyana: The Impact of Extractivism – Ecocide, Climate Crisis and Human Rights Abuses in the Caribbean
https://www.oggn.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Janette-Bulkan-Impact-Extractivism-Webinar-20211130.mp4 The above presentation was part of the Freedom Imaginaries webinar please see here: https://freedomimaginaries.org/event/beyond-extractivism-webinar2/ .
5 years post-first oil, Guyanese have not seen any major benefits
Its Thanksgiving weekend in America, which kicks off the Christmas holiday season in the US. The US President is giving his citizens an early Christmas present by releasing oil from the US Strategic reserve to curtail the rise in gasoline prices and heating bills. US citizens can celebrate low unemployment levels and an economy that…
One local content item that Guyana is successfully capable of handling is insurance
I refer to the letter in Stabroek News yesterday in which the Insurance Association of Guyana has spoken up. It is nice to see that my old association is taking a public stand in representation of the insurance industry and its capabilities, and in the process, correcting the false notion that Guyana is unprepared for…
It is imperative the calculations behind the AFHP electrical energy per kWh be shown
The Government recently paid for full-colour, double-page spreads in the daily newspapers touting the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) for powering Guyana’s future. The topmost justification is the Norconsult 2016 report on AFHP, which states, “The only realistic path for Guyana toward an emission free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential. The fastest…
Stabroek Block costs appear to be padded by at least 25%
The government is promising to audit the US$9.5 billion in capital costs outside the audit window that is now closed. It hasn’t explained how it will enforce any discrepancies found given that the time frame to audit Liza 1 and Liza 2, the first 2 projects in the Stabroek block, have expired. But let’s not…