–stalls establishment of Local Content Advisory Committee by not appointing representative, Minister Bharrat says

THE government has not been able to establish the Local Content Advisory Committee (LCAC), because it is still awaiting the submission of a nominee from the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

According to Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, with the Local Content Secretariat set up since January 2022, the ministry first wrote the Office of the Opposition Leader on January 7.

The ministry subsequently sent a second missive to it on September 6, reminding the Opposition that the government is still awaiting the nominee. However, according to Minister Bharrat, to date, no response has been received.

“As of November 8, 2022, the Local Content Advisory Committee has not been established as yet. We are awaiting the submission of the nominee from the Leader of the Opposition; the Ministry of Natural Resources has written the former Leader of the Opposition and the current Leader of the Opposition on January 7, 2022 and September 6, 2022, respectively,” the minister said.

He was at the time replying, in writing, to a question posed by APNU+AFC Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson during the sitting of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Patterson asked that Minister Bharrat inform the National Assembly whether the Local Content Advisory Committee has been established, and, if not, what is the reason for the delay.

In his reply, Minister Bharrat submitted copies of the two letters that the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Joslyn McKenzie had issued to the Opposition Leader’s office.

Part Five of the Local Content Act 2021 provides for the establishment of the LCAC, which shall consist of not less than seven members appointed by the President, selected from within some 19 agencies, one of which is the Parliamentary Opposition.

The function of the committee is to support the secretariat in the discharge of its functions in an advisory capacity, and to provide the minister with recommendations. The committee may determine and document its own procedure for discharging its functions.

Part Two of the Local Content Act 2021 caters for the establishment of the Local Content Secretariat, which will be a unit within the Ministry of Natural Resources responsible for petroleum.

The secretariat is tasked with developing and maintaining measures for the effective implementation of local content by contractors, sub-contractors and licences.

The landmark Local Content Act 2021 was signed into law on December 31, 2021, after the Bill was passed in the National Assembly on December 29, following a year of consultations in the National Assembly, with the government accepting 10 of the 14 amendments proposed by the main parliamentary opposition.

The Local Content Act 2021 paved the way for Guyanese to gain equal opportunities and access in the oil-and-gas industry, and to ensure maximum benefits for Guyanese businesses.

However, the Local Content Legislation is not set in stone, since the government has repeatedly said that as more and more Guyanese are trained, the laws would be amended to guarantee increased employment and business opportunities for the people of Guyana.