Dear Editor,
Recent news indicates that the AFC, the most successful Third Force in Guyana’s history, which people think is now a “dead meat” party, is to be applauded for coming out in favour of renegotiation of the worst oil contract in the world signed by their own top leader, Mr. Trotman. The AFC side has brought much disrepute to the PNC/AFC Coalition. Trotman signed the bad contract saying he was “told to sign.” The drug bond scandal involved some AFC friends. The increase in pay just as they got into office in 2015 was engineered by the AFC side. The no-confidence vote was successful because it was an MP from the AFC side that defected.
We accept the AFC’s support of renegotiation of the contract although it was their Government that put the nation in a bottomless pit in signing away our national patrimony for a pittance. The PPP will say, “it’s your Government that signed the bad contract, you are hypocrites.” But the PPP cannot take the high road because they are not only hypocrites too, they lied to the nation during the election that they will renegotiate the contract. Behind our backs they had promised Exxon not to renegotiate. The Presidential Candidate is on video saying the contract will be “reviewed and renegotiated.” The VP waxed eloquent in Parliament against the PNC-signed contract, of which he is now the chief defence counsel and cheerleader. To redeem itself, the AFC must tell the nation who told Trotman to sign and paint a clear, vivid picture of what happened. Confession is good for the AFC soul. The PPP is not interested in knowing what happened. It has no intention of setting up a Commission of Enquiry on such an important issue that goes to the wealth and future of our nation’s non-renewable natural resource. Once Exxon pulls out all the oil, it’s gone forever. There will be nothing for future generations. We see how Trinidad is struggling now that their oil is gone. That is why we the “Renegotiationists” will not give up until the contracts are renegotiated. Oil is too big for renegotiation to fail. Our “cork duck” if there is no renegotiation. Luckily, we see rising support day by day as Mr. Glenn Lall, KN and SN continues to give coverage to oil issues, exposing the injustice. Any Government or Opposition that refuses to renegotiate is not fit to govern this country.
On its journey of repentance about its complicity in the signing of the bad contract, maybe as a show of sincerity, the AFC can help recruit lawyers and be part of the legal team that’s fighting the Glenn Lall tax case and other oil cases filed. The AFC must also bring along its major partner, the PNC, whose leader hates the “R” word.
The PNC has only the “race card” left in its hand. It has no real development agenda. That’s a non-starter because everyone sees that the PPP is reaching out in a non-discriminatory manner to all communities and distributing grants, house lots, scholarships, and goodies to all. To have relevance, the PNC is best advised to embrace renegotiation at the party level as a platform issue. The AFC’s comments on oil wealth not reaching hinterland communities (KN, Oct 10, 2022) is on target, but it’s a general issue of inequities in education, health care, infrastructure, etc., after 33 years of the PNC and 25 years of the PPP. Wake up Guyana! It’s our country and our wealth, so let’s fight for our future and the good life now!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall