Dear Editor,
A columnist recently said, “When it comes to the renegotiation of the highly flawed oil agreement, Guyanese should no longer look towards either the government or the Opposition. Both have made it quite clear that there will be no renegotiation of the agreement. This constitutes a betrayal of the public interest. For if there is any agreement which requires renegotiation it is the Production Sharing Agreement entered between the oil companies and the government of Guyana”.
Many agree with the columnist’s suggestion, and the renegotiation movement is growing.
So, there is a loose Alliance now. Loud voices are Mr. Glenn Lall, KN, SN, the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN), the “Our Wealth, Our Country” (OWOC) group, Article 13, TIGI, some environmentalists, and a growing chorus of groups and individuals who understand the rich will get richer and poor will get poorer, unless we go back to constructing a new deal contract. Mr. Lincoln Lewis and Norris Witter are in support of renegotiation and they have nothing to lose if they break away from the PNC on this matter and bring along the other unions. A Trade Union’s first loyalty is to the workers who pay their dues, not politicians who use them.
In the absence of a national, formal Civil Society Alliance for Renegotiation, political space has been created for the emergence of a Third Force with renegotiation as its basis. Nation, we should hope this happens soon! After all, Guyana’s wealth belongs to Guyanese, not politicians who want to govern natural resources poorly to benefit themselves and collaborating bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie classes. Let’s take back our wealth from crooked politicians and neo-colonialists, and take back Guyana!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
