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The explanations on the oil blocks giveaway provided by former President Donald Ramotar and Robert Persaud are feeble, and if they were in court using this as their defense they were going to jail. Their arguments are so laughable, they are not even suited for a high school debating competition. To appreciate the enormity of this comedy understand that just days before the 2015 elections, the PPP Government giveaway the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks to two fly-by-night companies. These blocks are the depositories of tens of billions of United States Dollars worth of our natural resource.
In his defense, former President Ramotar stated that the application fees paid by the fly-by-night companies were not paid into private accounts. Hold it! Is Mr. Donald Ramotar under the impression that we are concerned about what happened to the application fee? No sir, we are concerned about the billions of dollars that will be loss to this Nation as a result of this shady deal.
Both Ramotar and Persaud are arguing that the oil blocks were given away before it was established we have oil. Well, they must have signed these agreements before I was born, because as long as I could remember we were told that Guyana is rich in natural and mineral resources; that it is only a matter of time before we find oil. In fact, many layman oil and gas experts theorized for years that because we are below sea level all of Venezuela’s oils will drain our way. So when Ramotar and Persaud say the oil blocks were given away before they knew we have oil, they are being disingeneous to say the least.
However, even if they did not know, why would they give away the oil blocks to fly-by-night companies when one of the world’s largest oil company is operating in the immediate vicinity? Why would the principles of these fly-by-night companies be interested in sinking their limited resources into oil exploration in an area Esso sold it’s interest for $1? Surely both the PPP and the companies knew that they were dealing with something of enormous imminent value.
Apparently Ramotar and Persaud believe this is an original scam. No it is not, scams like this were being run by corrupt politicians and business executives for centuries. It is a simple scam. The Government received indications that prospects for oil were looking good. Most likely the communication was unofficial, and the proviso was, “It is off the record because it is not confirmed.” As soon as the PPP received this information they cobbled together two fly-by-night companies and instruct officials in Geology and Mines to issue the permits. These permits will be used to negotiate with real oil companies for billions.
The fact that all fees were paid, and all procedures were followed means nothing. The corruption is the use of privilege government information for profit, and in the process denying the people of Guyana billions of dollars.
Don’t tell us that fees were paid. Don’t tell us that procedures were followed, you were the government and you could issue instructions for things to be approved. Tell us your reasoning for giving permits to companies that did not have the wherewithal to proceed with the explorations. Surely the PPP knew these guys were just going to trade the permit, not explore for oil. How could that be in the interest of the Guyanese people. Surely the PPP knew these guys plan was to sit on the permits until they got real hot, then try to leverage tons of money from real oil companies. Surely the PPP knew this was free money. They big question is, why would the PPP knowingly give free money to fly-by-night companies? This is just a repeat of the Berbice Bridge Scam and the Skeldon Estate Scam.
Robert Persaud statement that he will not be dragged into an election propaganda campaign, is just a call for the circling of the wagons. It is a signal to all who would listen that this issue has electoral implications, and if you really supporting the PPP you will forget about it.
This is not a political effort. If this Government does not do everything in its power to get to the bottom of this issue, it will be abdicating its responsibilities.