–Jagdeo dismisses PNCR’s 20-point oil and gas plan
–points to lack of substance, zero commitment to policies, originality

THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)’s 20-point plan for the oil and gas industry is a useless document that lacks substance, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has said.
The PNCR, which was the primary party in the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government that made the highly-criticised deal with ExxonMobil, presented a grandiose plan on what it would do for the oil and gas industry if elected to office.
In his assessment of the plan, Jagdeo, during a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, said: “This is a useless; totally useless document that they launched this week… Their 20-point plan for oil and gas… but they under pressure to say something, but they have nothing to say, so they will put out this garbage. It has nothing; nothing specific; they are just writing like it’s academia.”

Further describing the document as an ‘elaborate con’, Jagdeo said, “You can write on anything, but running government is very different.”
He related that the policy lacks originality and commitment, noting: “In the 20-point plan, they have 12 that are about feasibility studies and review. So, no commitment to nothing. We will do feasibility studies. If we [PNCR] come into office, we’ll do feasibility studies and review,” the PPP leader said.

The PPP General Secretary described the document as one that is devoid of specifics, although the PNCR has touted it as ‘a great plan” in some quarters.
“Of the 20 points, I’ll give them credit for the way it looks. Nothing; nothing here! Zero originality, as we predicted,” he said.

The General Secretary contrasted the PNCR/APNU’s approach with the PPP’s record in government, highlighting that while in opposition, the PPP presented clear policy proposals, and has since delivered on those promises.
He said: “In our manifesto, we made it clear what we will do…We said we are going to move to auction blocks, moving away from the first-come-first-served basis on which licences in the oil and gas sector were awarded in the past; we did that. We said we will pass a Local Content Act; we did that. We said

we would review the NRF; we did that. We said we will pass a new Petroleum Activities Act, updating the 1986 one; we did that. We said we would strengthen the environmental permits; we did that in every case. We said we will publish all of the permits; we did that, both the licences and the permits, as well as the agreements we signed… We said we will pass a new PSA; we did that. I can go down a long list.”

On the other hand, in reference to the PNCR’s plans, he said: “It’s either review or feasibility study; no commitment to doing anything yet. Two other paragraphs are duplications, so that is 14 points gone. And the agreement themselves, they are committing to review; not to re-negotiate again.”
Under the PPP/C administration, the industry is managed prudently, and its gains are being utilised to enhance the lives of every Guyanese.

Regarding the direct management of the inflows from the sector, Jagdeo said the NRF is managed by an independent board, a departure from the previous APNU+AFC Coalition government’s approach. The NRF Act of 2021 mandates a Board of Directors to oversee the fund’s management, ensuring compliance with approved policies and laws.

The government has amended the NRF Act to require annual parliamentary approval for any withdrawals from the fund, further enhancing transparency and accountability.
Additionally, significant changes have been made to the Petroleum Activities Bill, and the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement to secure greater benefits for Guyana.
The Local Content Act, passed in 2021, has been another key achievement, according to Jagdeo. The legislation has provided thousands of Guyanese companies with procurement opportunities, fostering local capacity in the rapidly expanding oil sector.