Introduction
Part 107 of this column took up the issue of the construction of a Head Office building by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited at Ogle, ECD and asserted that the whole saga is rife with misrepresentation, secrecy, complicity, abuse of power, possible illegality, and a touch of mystery. At issue is the signing of a binding MOU with Ogle Airport Inc. (OAI) for the lease to Esso of ten acres of land for thirty years, negotiated with Exxon, Esso’s ultimate parent. The only hiccup was that the land was owned by the state under a lease still ten years away from expiry.
OAI’s initial attempt at resolving the problem was to approach Mr. David Patterson, Minister of Public Infrastructure. He demurred. Enter Mr. Fix-It, Joseph Harmon, Minister of State who pushed Patterson aside, replacing and issuing a new Lease to OAI, in one of the most sordid abuses of power by the APNU+AFC Coalition. The role of OAI’s chairman and former Private Sector Commission Chairman Michael Correia might not be as decisive or compelling as Exxon’s or Harmon’s, but it was clearly significant.