THE World Bank has committed an expert to help Guyana redraft its Petroleum Commission Bill, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman has said.

This was disclosed following a meeting between the Minister of Natural Resources and the World Bank’s Country Director for Caribbean Countries and Latin America, Tahseen Sayed, and a technical team, at the Ministry’s Duke Street office on Tuesday.

Minister Trotman explained that the Bill, which was before a National Assembly Select Committee, has been delayed to facilitate input from the World Bank. “Those inputs came at the end of February. So, we discussed with them today (Tuesday) moving forward. They have committed to providing an expert to do the redraft,” Minister Trotman explained.
The Bill was first laid in the National Assembly in May 2017 and gives title to an Act to provide for the establishment, and functions of the Petroleum Commission of Guyana and for related matters.

The cost for the redraft will be covered by a World Bank US$20M loan, secured by the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan. Minister Trotman noted that the World Bank “is also looking at retroactive financing … even before we get moneys from the loan.”
He said a redrafted or an entirely new Bill will be presented to the National Assembly by June 2018. The expert has reviewed the current bill and is redrafting it, taking into consideration stakeholder inputs and those of the World Bank. The minister assured that stakeholders will be consulted before the redrafted Bill is presented to the National Assembly.

Amid criticisms late last year that the Bill made provision for too much government control, Trotman had announced that government will revisit the legislation with the aim of ensuring that it illustrates transparency and is inclusionary.
“Government has chosen to pause the implementation of the Petroleum Commission Bill, so that we can receive all fit and proper proposals that may be out there,” Trotman had told the National Assembly during the budget debate.

He said then that “this moment will not come again and how we prepare to manage this resource, in particular, will determine the long-term future of the country; so I will recommend to Cabinet that the format is changed from the standard semi-autonomous one to make the Commission more independent and inclusive, so that it can enjoy national support”.

The parliamentary opposition, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) had said that the Bill must be properly scrutinised. Opposition Member of Parliament Irfaan Ali back in June 2017, when the legislation was sent to the Special Select Committee of the National Assembly, explained that “the independence of the Petroleum Commission is vigorously challenged in numerous sections” thereby affecting its ability to operate in a fair, open, objective, and non-discriminatory manner, as envisioned in Section 6 subsection 1.
Under Section 8 of the Bill, he said the power of the minister to give directions to the Commission shows that the Commission would be incapable of working without the intervention and control of the minister.

He contended that under Section 8, the minister is allowed to provide policy guidance and give direction to the Commission regarding the size of the establishment, the employment of staff and the terms and conditions of employment, the provision of equipment and use of funds, among other things.

However, Trotman had maintained that the Petroleum Commission of Guyana Bill 2017, which was sent to a Special Select Committee for bi-partisan deliberations, was the subject of extensive consultation on the legislation which provides a legal framework for regulating and monitoring the sector.

Trotman said the legislation, which provides a legal framework for an efficient, safe, effective and environmentally responsible exploration, development and production of petroleum in Guyana, was drafted by the Oceanic and Natural Resources Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Secretariat then sent to the government for extensive consultations.