Dear Editor,
THE wilful ignorance that characterised the Granger administration seems to have become part of the psyche of those who oppose the Irfaan Ali administration; a case in point is the absurd assertion in the Kaieteur News editorial (9.12.21) that “Exxon is now seeking five acres of land for a riverside facility on the West Bank of Demerara” and framing it as an acquisition/purchase by Exxon. I refuse to believe that any intelligent person reading the Request for Information (RFI) where it states “EEPGL plans to put in place an enabling agreement with a supplier who currently has a well-developed Quayside and Laydown area. EEPGL does not plan to develop a new Quayside and Laydown facility” and understood this to mean that Exxon was looking to buy land. The editorial went on to make the case for local content despite 763 of the RFI’s 1664 words being dedicated to Local Content requirements; this is either wilful ignorance or Glenn Lall has taken to writing the editorials in the newspaper he owns.

The editorial also repeats the previous claim (made by GHK Lall and Glenn Lall) that “Exxon wants oil reports with national significance withheld and buried, and they are hidden from the sight of Guyanese.” Lall & Lall fail to comprehend that reports are prepared and delivered, then they must be read, understood, and analysed; any areas that need clarification must be queried and explanations accepted and annotated or amended as needed. Would the Lall duo have the government release the reports and then reply to questions with blank stares and false/vapid/expedient answers? There is no doubt that the two reports which are being reviewed by the Guyana Revenue Authority will be released upon completion of the process; to suggest otherwise while the process is ongoing is wilfully ignorant and opportunistic.

GHK Lall speaks of “the power of Exxon” as if he were talking of a foe of Guyana instead of our development partner; yes, Exxon has ‘power’, it has the power of technology to explore, develop and produce oil from wells located three miles below the surface of the sea. Exxon has the ‘power’ of competence to attract partners and financing for oil exploration and development in Guyana. Exxon has the ‘power’ to let the world know that Guyana is a stable democracy and one where a change in administration does not lead to cancellation or arbitrary renegotiation of contracts. Guyana’s ability to attract foreign direct investment is directly related to the political stability and maturity of its government administration; a fact that is lost to the Lalls.
Rumours that the Lall duo plans to launch a political party persist. The targeting of ExxonMobil seems aimed at tapping into populist sentiments of distrust of mega-corporations and attracting a support base of conspiracy theorists and ignoramuses. The Lalls would do well in the future to read and understand available materials from Exxon and other companies before writing ‘opinions’ and/or spouting gibberish for public consumption.

Yours sincerely,
Robin Singh