Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton on Friday said that he has informed ExxonMobil of APNU’s and the AFC’s focus to elicit more benefits from oil extraction for the Guyanese people by utilizing provisions in the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).
Norton at a press conference on Friday following a meeting with ExxonMobil told reporters that discussions between the oil company and the opposition focused on where the company is currently in terms of production. “I think they felt that as a government in waiting that they need to update us which they did”, he said.
According to Norton, the opposition outlined elements of their position to the company.
“We have also indicated to them that our interest lies in ensuring the Guyanese people obtain as much as is possible from the oil and gas sector and that while we see the importance of investment in Guyana we also see that it is important for the Guyanese people to benefit”, he asserted.
He noted that the opposition has also given the company an “indication of how we think ExxonMobil can contribute to human resource development in Guyana because we made it very clear that human resource development is critical.”
Furthermore, he said that there were also discussions in the area of the company’s corporate responsibilities. “We have said to them our focus is to get more for the Guyanese people…”, Norton stated.
Meanwhile, Norton added that during the dialogue they also made further proposals which can be utilized in government adding that he wished not to disclose those at the press conference.
However, he said, “We believe that a better approach is to look at the various options and then to see which is the best option” as he said that the present government does not seem to be discussing options but rather just “announce projects and jump from projects to projects and it is not part of a cohesive development plan.”
Following further questioning from reporters, Norton stated that his party is working to become the government and they believe that “we will become the government, we have a clear idea as to what we want. There are positives to ring-fencing (in the PSA) there are negative elements to it. We will analyze each case, case by case, and make decisions that are in the interest of the people of Guyana.”
