Dear Editor,
Presently in the local Oil and Gas environment there are precious few jobs available to Guyanese companies. Guyanese can only hope to find opportunities in sectors such as security, local transportation, food-catering, etc. But even these little offerings are being swept away from local players and being given to Trinidad companies who, since they cannot compete with the oil majors, must hunt among us, smaller tribes, and squash us. All of this is happening in full view and with complete indifference by the local authorities and the various private sector organisations. But the main culprits in this egregious act are the oil companies themselves who are wilfully promoting and endorsing these foreign companies to the complete detriment of Guyana, its people and its local economy.
A few examples will help to illustrate. A Trinidad trucking company has recently entered the market, to perform work for one of the biggest oil-field services companies in the world. Now, there are several local trucking companies that can readily perform these jobs. Yet this company has been favoured, and has become so emboldened it has now gone after a local transportation company that has been performing taxi services for Exxon and others since 2012.
A Trinidad logistics company has secured the logistics work for several oil companies. This company is proud to state that its entire Guyana operations is staffed by local staff. Which only begs the larger question, why then can’t Guyanese logistics companies, of which there are dozens, perform these tasks and thereby ensure that 100% of the profits are retained in country and used to invest or spend in the local economy. Another Trinidad company has won the waste management tender for Exxon and has beaten out well-qualified local companies on several bid processes. In none of these instances have the foreign companies seen it fit to team up with local entities to enhance their local content ratio. In some of these instances, the persons in the oil companies directly complicit in the recruitment of these Trinidadian companies are Trinidadian themselves.
Compounding the situation was the recent meeting held at the convention centre by the Trinidad energy chamber where to the utter disrespect of our nation, none of the local private sector groups were invited. The organisers of that convention then had the temerity to state that “there was a misunderstanding of cultures” on formal invitations. This, more than anything else, typifies perfectly the narcissism of small differences between the two “cultures”. All of this is part of a pattern of condescension and arrogance on the part of Trinidadians towards Guyanese over the decades. Perhaps on their next sojourn to Guyana the Trinidadians can convene a convention of Guyanese businesses where they can hopefully explain and then close that culture gap.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
