Natural Resources minister says Petroleum Commission Bill is priority
-adds sector must be insulated from political interference
Computer scientist and teacher Vickram Bharrat was yesterday appointed Minister of Natural Resources and will head the oil & gas industry, underscoring that with the sector expected to be this country’s top revenue earner, his priority will be the establishment of a Petroleum Commission.
While President Irfaan Ali said that the sector will again fall under the ministry, Bharrat said that the new government has not yet decided if the Department of Energy will be kept.
The Minister of Natural Resources hopes that as soon as the 13th Parliament begins that the Petroleum Commission Bill will once again be tabled, as his government believes that it is needed for the sector to be insulated from political interference before any major decisions for the sector could be made.
“Oil to a country could be a curse or a blessing, but it all depends on the management of that sector. The oil and gas sector will definitely need management in terms of responsibility and transparency in keeping with the Santiago Principles and that is what we intend to bring to the ministry,” he told the Stabroek News in an interview yesterday, following his swearing in. The Santiago Principles pertain to sovereign wealth funds.
“The Petroleum Commission Bill was tabled by the previous administration about three years ago and sent to a special select committee. Unfortunately, that bill still languishes in that Special Select Committee. Such a special Bill that will reduce political interference in the managing of that sector I believe is needed to ensure transparency,” he added.
Bharrat further explained that Ali will tomorrow be meeting with his entire Cabinet and Ministers to set a clear plan for each sector and the job portfolios of each will discussed and completed then.
A decision on whether the Department of Energy will be kept will be made then and Bharrat said that he will be meeting today with the staff of his ministry to gain an insight into operations before meeting his President the next day. “As it is now, we will have the Department of Energy,” he said.
President Ali had told reporters that when decisions on the sector are made it will be shared with the public. “We are going to share this with you. We are going to share with you as soon as we have crystalized the TORs and areas of responsibility for every ministry and we are going to have that gazetted.”
Asked if he was responsible for the oil & gas, Bharrat said, “There is a ministry of natural resources” and again stressed “Can you wait until we have that finalised?” when asked about his role with the President being the Minister of Petroleum.
Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Anil Nandlall echoed that the Petroleum Commission Bill was a priority for the government and they will be working to ensure that it is swiftly returned to Parliament. “While we were in opposition, we had some fundamental conceptual problems where it was felt that there was an overconcentration of power to politicians. As a result we withheld our support on the floor. The Minister at the time, Raphael Trotman, expressed some reservations about the Bill and he had asked it to be sent to the special select committee,” Nandlall explained. He stressed the importance of having a Bill that reflects the best for the people of this country and also the benefits of the establishment of the Commission.
The Bill was first presented to the National Assembly in May of 2017 and returned for its second reading and debate one month later. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic, then in opposition, had staunchly criticised it, questioning the powers granted to the Minister of Natural
Resources.
Vocal
It was now President, Dr Ali who had been most vocal in his criticisms of the bill and objections were also raised by the PPP/C, about the lack of independence of the commission, general governance, and its ability to operate in a non-discriminatory and apolitical manner.
“When we examine section 8 which deals with the Power of the Minister to give directions to the Commission, it is clear that the Commission will hardly be able to work without the direction and control of the Minister. According to Section 8, the Minister is not only allowed
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