WPA executive urges Minister Trotman to release ExxonMobil contract

Dear Editor, The Working People’s Alliance has noted the continued withholding of the general publication of the contract between ExxonMobil and its partners with the Government of Guyana. We believe this to be unwise for several reasons, including in particular the fact that such contracts are publicly available online for countries with 1) odious authoritarian reputations and 2) wracked with severe domestic and external conflicts.

There is no justifiable reason for not publishing this contract. Seeking public comment on it is our democratic obligation. And engaging the widest possible sharing of views can only help the coalition government to make wiser decisions.

In the spirit of Walter Rodney, we ask that the occasion of his death anniversary (June 13, 2017) is used to make the contract public, in honour of his memory. Further, as we as a government continue to request from the public their unwavering trust in us, and the decisions we make, we should not give them or our opponents’ reason to suggest that we should not be trusted.

In the interest, therefore, of upholding the tenets of transparency and accountability, the Executive Members of the WPA would like to urge Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman to adopt this position and release the contract to allow for public consumption, at or around June 13, 2017. Yours faithfully, Desmond Trotman Chairperson Working People’s Alliance