Dear Editor,
MY fellow Guyanese citizens, who I believe were caught up in the carnival revelry and celebrations relating to independence, might have missed an important note from SARA. According to Kaieteur News, the government agency said that it is investigating systems and policies that might have led to the awarding of two oil blocks to friends just before elections in 2015.
From what I glean in these reports, the big wigs at Freedom House on Robb Street and the Office of the President, had apparently speeded up the awards of blocks known as Canje and Kaieteur to two companies that most people in Guyana might never have heard of. Editor, I am anxious to hear more information about this investigation as the PPP and its friends and fellow collaborators at places like the Auditor General’s office have accused President David Granger and cabinet of being corrupt, or even more corrupt, than the PPP in all of its 23 years in office.

What an astounding statement to make. Yes, there has to be some level of corruption, especially because Mr. Granger did make a cardinal political mistake by ordering that many important people and officials, who had worked with the PPP, should have been allowed to remain on the job, hoping perhaps they would one day be loyal to him and his government. What a faux pas this has turned out to be.

As we all know, some of these people are in sensitive positions, positions that my friends on the east coast love to refer to as ‘gatekeeper portfolios’ so the fact that there are elements of corrupt acts should be of no surprise to watchers like me. I now rather suspect that when the details of SARA’s peek into the awards of the blocks come to light, those crying massive corruption will be shut up and be put out to pasture politically. Some of the companies which, as expected, made millions for themselves and friends in the government back then, by selling portions of their blocks to big companies like Exxon, Guyana got nothing. Point to note is that none of these companies has sunken any well after almost five years, because I am sure they are now raising the capital and resources to do so. They were simply handed a large and important part of our patrimony by a corrupt band of government officials who now accuse their rivals of doing so on the same scale. How can this be? Which government in this part of the world can match the pillage of the PPP?

Mr. Editor, I urge SARA to speak up on this issue so Guyanese could know what is going on and what went on.

Regards
Peter Joseph