Dear Editor,
I note with interest the recent letter by Mr Badrie Persaud, the Managing Director of Guyoil published in your papers in which he outlines reasons for the recent fuel shortages that affected so many stations countrywide (‘All Guyana oil companies are affected by a gasoline shortage at the refineries,’ SN, January 10). While this may be true and account for the national situation, we would like a more specific explanation as to why the residents of the Pomeroon are being stifled for gasoline by Guyoil. To fully understand our dilemma, one has to recognize that Guyoil is the only supplier of gasoline on the entire Essequibo coast, the other stations deal primarily in diesel. We are therefore without an option on the coast. Many of us depend on Guyoil to resupply our operations in the interior, run our businesses and keep our vehicles on the road.
The recent shortages may have been a shock for some across the rest of Guyana but for us in the Pomeroon and the entire Essequibo coast for that matter, it was just another shortage. We were without fuel on the Essequibo Coast several times in 2014 and we never got any explanation as to why Essequibians are being treated like the stepsister of Guyana. We may live in the Cinderella County but we will not suffer in silence.
We therefore are calling on Guyoil to explain why the Essequibo Coast seems always to have a shortfall in fuel and why can’t better planning and allocation work to ensure that Essequibians get better value and service from the national fuel supplier. We await their response.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
