…in the state of our oil
Your Eyewitness smelled a rat – a dead rat – the moment Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman allowed as to how he was going to reopen the contract with Exxon on drilling for oil in our waters. At the most mundane level, how could a fella who was so clueless about business and finance as to’ve suggested Exxon would make “advance payments” for oil (which wouldn’t be flowing for at least half a decade) be negotiating with a company with such deep pockets??
Exxon’s big-time lawyers have been able to tie up prosecutors of half a dozen states – including NY – on their charges the oil giant hid pollution data. Trotman should just google ExxonMobil – their legal department has over 159 full-time lawyers who earn an average of US$209,000 each. Not to mention they often hire outside lawyers like the ones that won Exxon’s case against NJ and raked in last year US$50M – in fees!
Anyhow, the other foot – or claw in this Case of the Dead Rat – just dropped. Trotman announced that because of a “confidentiality clause” with Exxon, he can’t tell the Guyanese people what the negotiation’s all about!! And this from a fella and a party and a government that’ve hung the PPP out to dry on THEIR claims of such clauses in the forestry sector!!
There’s been some talk about Guyana joining this international organisation – Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) – that pushes for “transparency” in exploiting natural resources so the funds don’t end up in private pockets. Seems like we’d better join up before Trotman starts “negotiating”.
But this Eyewitness’s betting we won’t – for the simple reason that guess who has to submit the application for admission to EITI? That’s right….Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Mr Trotman!! After more than a year of being advised by the World Bank, the Trinidad chapter of EITI, and a symposium of local “stakeholders”, Trotman says the application MIGHT be ready by November. Don’t be holding your breath now!
There are two sets of concerns about our coming “oil boom”. One about the distribution of wealth flowing from the oil wells through new jobs/businesses created will only be directed at one or the other ethnic groups on the coast and leave the Amerindians out in the cold once again. It could be a repetition of the bauxite saga which saw only African Guyanese being recruited in the mines and factory.
Then there’re the fears of corruption as in which Billions are siphoned off into private foreign bank accounts of politicians.
But these will just be the crumbs left after the “renegotiation” with Exxon! Transparency now!!
…in WI Cricket
How much longer are we going to put up with the authoritarian behaviour of the WICB when it is so painfully obvious they’re killing our cricket? The WICB’s latest sticking of their finger into the eyes of us long-suffering fans is their sacking of Sammy as captain of the WI T20 team. Why? Just because he spoke his mind about the bungling of the WICB in handling arrangements for the ICC T20 World Cup. Which he won and made us the current World Champs in this format!
And who’d they replace Sammy with? The untested and inexperienced youth Kraigg Braithwaite. The WICB insists in following the practice of the old colonial boards that treated local “Creole” players like dirt and were expected to be thankful just to be serving the Board.
And here your Eyewitness thought Massa day was done!!
…in Parliament
Your Eyewitness’s heard about there being “no honour among thieves”. But politicians? PM Nagamootoo was pretty exhaustive when he perorated in Parliament that without “evidence”, he couldn’t say whether Burnham, the army, the police, imperialists, or rogue elements assassinated Rodney.
But he didn’t contradict Basil Williams who said, “the PPP done it!” Does this mean Nagamootoo was shown THIS “evidence”?
