Rastafari will be monitoring oil and gas production

Dear Editor, Since May 21, 2015 when President David Granger with Comrades Joe Harmon and Raphael Trotman took a helicopter ride to the ExxonMobil oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean (Stabroek Block) to be embraced, Rastafari in Guyana have been monitoring the APNU+AFC government, winner of the election on May 16, 2015, on all aspects (or non-aspects) of oil and gas production and administration in Guyana by ExxonMobil.

Rastafari have been in gold production for decades and know well gold and diamond exploration, production and regulations. Rastafari have been reading and watching the news about the oil fields in offshore Guyana because we have mastered the gold fields in hinterland Guyana. For us, Rastafari is the destiny of Guyana.

It is from this view point that the Rastafari Community of all Guyana RCG and their counterparts react to the newspaper headline ‘Greenidge jumps to ExxonMobil’s defence’ in Kaieteur News (December 5, 2017). The newspaper quoted Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, as saying in Berbice, “prolonged cuss out of oil company ExxonMobil is unwarranted”. Greenidge also cautioned citizens not to “believe these jokers that would have you cuss out a company that has found oil and develops that oil”. Greenidge was referring to journalists as jokers.

Is Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge a pawn of ExxonMobil? Does he know the hidden agenda of the oil company? Rastafari Intellectual Army (RIA) will not allow pain to be inflicted on the Rastafari in Guyana by ExxonMobil or the APNU+AFC government.

What are the aspects (or non-aspects) of oil and gas exploration, production and regulations that the RIA will be monitoring? First, let it be known to all Guyana that Rasta will be monitoring oil and gas from production to the closure of all oil fields in Guyana. Every reservoir onshore or offshore, shallow or deep we will examine. We will share with counterparts in Africa.

We will begin with the Liza oil field in Stabroek Block offshore Guyana where ExxonMobil is contracted to liberate oil from its reservoir. ExxonMobil has a floating production, storage, and off-loading vessel above the Lisa reservoir. Commercial production of oil for export is expected to start in 2020. The gas could be used for production, flared or sent onshore for the generation of electricity – no decision has yet been taken on Guyana’s gas and this Rasta will monitor.

The Rastafari Intellectual Army expects the journalists of Guyana to release to the citizens of Guyana the Field Development Plan (FDP) of the Liza oil reservoir. The oil belongs to Guyanese. Not only senior politicians must know of the Field Development Plan.

The FDP is one aspect of the Production Sharing Contract, PSC, between the people of Guyana and contractor ExxonMobil. This FDP by ExxonMobil will bring into being a new culture of Guyanese citizens because we, as owners of the reservoir, will be scrutinizing it. Rastafari geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, geobiologists, geo-mathematicians, petroleum engineers, drilling and completion specialists, facilities specialists, operation and production specialists, environmental specialists, planners and cost estimators, quantity surveyors, auditors, land surveyors, economists and commercial experts, pastors, lawyers, medical practitioners and other workers will advance Guyana to a new technical culture. Rastafari can supply all these workers because Rasta specialists are in the Caribbean and all continents of the world.

When Carl Greenidge blurts out, “It is our job to ensure that our Inland Revenue Department is competently manned so as to analyse their books and impose taxes they are supposed to pay. You can’t start up by beating up the company when in fact the company hasn’t been due to pay taxes and [has not] refused to pay taxes”, he is addressing only one aspect of monitoring. Carl Greenidge’s vision must be taken beyond revenue and taxes.

In the 1980s, Mr Greenidge as Minister of Economic Affairs, destroyed native manufacturers and enriched native importers (foreign currency was available

to importers) and foreign investors. But not this time! Journalist Freddie Kissoon wrote recently “Hoyte engineered perhaps the cruellest anti-people structural adjustment system a post-colonial government ever pursued named the Economic Recovery Programme. Hoyte had his own meaning of what people meant, for him it didn’t mean the masses”. President Desmond Hoyte’s Economic Affairs Minister was Carl Greenidge.

Minister Greenidge has a degree in economics (wealth) but he does not know that wealth comes from the application of science (technology). He bows down to importers and investment paying rents, royalties, taxes and providing jobs. He favours foreigners and jobs. As Minister of Foreign Affairs he has to show discernment of motives of actions.

ExxonMobil is not into Guyana’s essence of egalitarianism and liberty. ExxonMobil is the very essence of a USA capitalist ‒ high profit, tax dodging and low wages. Greenidge was told by journalists (and hopefully his diplomats) that in some other countries ExxonMobil had not paid taxes and royalties and had a track record of bribery and corruption and destruction of the environment. Mr Greenidge is now President David Granger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mr Granger needs a foreign minister with the mental agility to deal with ExxonMobil’s hidden agenda and not revenue matters.

On December 8, 2017 the media disclosed that the Guyana government took US$18million from ExxonMobil to finance ‘territorial integrity’ in the border controversy with Venezuela. Second, the media said that US$18million is a ‘signature bonus’ as per the Production Sharing Contract PSC. Third, the media said that this money is in an escrow account at the Bank of Guyana.

ExxonMobil will get back their money using cost recovery arithmetic. What is ExxonMobil’s motive here? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be schooled on how Ethiopia defended its territory between the Battle of Adowa and its membership of the League of Nations.

On June 14, 1999 USA born Mrs Janet Jagan, as President of Guyana, gave USA ExxonMobil 600 blocks of Guyana’s oil land instead of 60 blocks. One section of the regulations on oil says that an investor can get no more than 60 blocks of land. Another section of the same regulations says “under special considerations” the Minister can give oil land in excess of 60 blocks. So, Mrs Jagan gave ExxonMobil 600 blocks. What was Mrs Jagan’s motive for this action? Beyond US$18million, territorial integrity, signature bonus, 60 blocks, 600 blocks and ‘under special considerations’ is our border controversy with Venezuela.

Rastafari must unite.

Yours faithfully, Ras Leon Saul (Publisher/ Producer/ Broadcaster) Ras Bizzi Pastor Elise Ras Daweed (De Kulture Ambassador) Ernest Sealey (Vendor) Lindon Jeffrey (Vendor) Troy Wright (Vendor) Neville Jordan (structural engineer) ‘Magic’ October (Prince, Sons & Daughter) Debra Rogers (vendor) Ras Leston Andrews (transport facilitator) Leonard Higgins (aircraft engineer) Ras Dalgettie I (Chemist at mineral processing) Jah Lion (Theocracy Mansion) and others of the Rastafari community and their counterparts