Opposition had ample time to suggest amendments, Jagdeo says

GUYANA’S recently passed Petroleum Activities Bill was hailed as one that is modern and comparable to laws in other countries across the world, according to Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo.

The VP addressed the issue on Thursday during his press conference, where he added that the opposition APNU+AFC had ample time to suggest amendments to the bill while it was in its draft stage.

He was at the time responding to questions asked about opposition Member of Parliament, David Patterson’s proposed amendments which were published in some daily newspapers.

In his response, he explained that the government is a progressive one that made a promise to modernise the country’s petroleum laws and expand it and they have stuck to that promise.

“Patterson did some half-baked amendments and then he gets all the publicity as though he’s the conscience of the oil and gas industry,” he said.

Against this backdrop, he added that the same persons who made a mess of the oil and gas sector like Patterson and former natural resources minister, Raphael Trotman, have now become “stars” in the sector.

Meanwhile, Dr Jagdeo revealed that Patterson approached the National Assembly the night before the bill was brought to the house to be passed and sprung their amendments.

The VP said: “He had all the time before to submit these amendments. So, they had the public consultation, he wants to do it in Parliament, it goes the same way. They want to manage the oil and gas sector from the Parliament.”

Further, he went on to rubbish the half-baked amendments which he noted some of the news entities have gotten excited about.

“We passed a new law. Now we have a modern framework for managing the oil and gas sector. The law is comparable to laws around the world, modern laws and in most countries the authority rests with the minister. In most countries it’s a comparable law that is modern, not 1986 law,” he said.

The Vice-President added that while the government is not looking for a pat on the back, it should be commended for modernising the legislation in the rapidly growing sector and elevating it to something that will change the industry.

Just last week, the National Assembly passed the landmark Petroleum Activities Bill 2023 which repeals and replaces the outdated Petroleum Exploration and Production Act of 1986 thus positioning the country on the path towards responsible, accountable and modern management of the petroleum industry.