Dear Editor,
Stop this nonsense coalition backers. This garbage of taking any deal with an American oil major because it offers a buffer to Venezuela is just that, garbage. Exxon has always wanted our oil. They would have taken a fairer deal if the coalition or the PPP before them had the guts to fight for one. This is atrocious and egregious ineptitude and stupidity from the PPP and the coalition that Exxon exploited and nothing more. The country will pay a US$55 billion price for it. Venezuela was not an immediate threat to invade Guyana. Guyana did not have a gun to its head. The notion that Guyana is better off having first oil before the International Court of Justice decides is lunacy. Having oil introduces a myriad of major complications into any UN process. These are not factors that justify negotiating negligence.
The coalition jokers were comprehensively outplayed and future generations will pay a steep price. Look at what we have reaped with this atrocity. Yes, we got America in our house but Russia and China are now firmly entrenched in Venezuela expanding their geopolitical influence in America’s backyard while the Trump presidency has gone quiet. The coalition jokers went for a superpower presence at all costs hoping it would provide security and ended up with three superpowers sitting right next to each other in heightened tensions. How is that tradeoff looking now? This is why backwater banana republics must make the best deal for themselves and generally leave the geopolitical consequences to the superpowers. This is not to say geopolitical considerations must not be involved, they simply should not have been overriding factors in negotiating the deal.
This is now beyond Venezuela and Guyana and entirely in the hands of three geopolitical giants. This is what oil does. Yet, we are saddled with a bad deal and limited economic security, especially with the US billions we owe Exxon for exploration costs. Note that Exxon is not slowing down with the oil exploration. It will run this sweetheart deal to its limit to ensure it milks this stunning deal to the max.
This is what oil does. This is why we need to be careful with the upcoming election as any fallout exposes this country to geopolitical interference that we are powerless against.
Have the coalition geopolitical defenders thought about the impact of literally handing over this country to massive US influence with this oil resource fire sale to Exxon? Surely they didn’t think that the US would allow the Russians and Chinese to set up shop in America’s backyard. Have the coalition defenders using this argument thought about the implications of the US returning to the bigger and more established Venezuela oil industry with regime change and any impact on our sovereignty over our resources and territory? The US supermajors badly want Venezuela for obvious reasons. Can we be ‘traded’ without our input now that we relinquished so much for so little in return? Now that the US controls vast swathes of our productive territory, will they engage in map making if they return to Venezuela? Are these the kinds of stay-up-at-night questions a country should be having for a pittance of a deal?
The PPP were equally as bad as the coalition with these sickening deals. The PPP made the initial deals. Jagdeo is no less an unparalleled accomplice with these deals. Both the PPP and APNU are responsible for this bad deal. End of matter. However, the coalition faces more blame for not trying to renegotiate when it held power.
Yours faithfully,
M. Maxwell
