The article dated 20 July 2018 appearing in the New York Times under the caption “The $20 Billion Question for Guyana” has generated quite a reaction locally for its portrayal of what most Guyanese would consider an unfair assessment of the state of affairs of Guyana and of its peoples. It was written by Clifford Krauss, national energy business correspondent based in Texas, USA. Mr. Krauss visited Guyana, held an interview with ExxonMobil and was afforded a tour of the oil company’s operations here. The U.S. oil giant, however, denied that it funded his trip; distanced itself from the observations of the reporter; and asserted that “Guyana is a beautiful place, with beautiful people”.
Several persons have commented publicly on the operations of ExxonMobil in Guyana, most notably being Mr. Christopher Ram. Others include Ms. Melinda Janki, Mr. Charles Ramson Jr., Ms. Annette Arjoon-Martins and this columnist. Ms. Arjoon-Martins raised the concern about possible oil spillage which was given cursory treatment in the article, compared with the explanations provided by Exxon.