Petroleum Bill did not receive the attention it should have

Dear Editor,

I wish to draw to your attention, the fact that the Petroleum Bill 2017, Bill Number 4 2017 came up for its first reading on May 8, and its second reading on June 15 in the National Assembly. I read the bill and watched the debates and exchanges in Parliament. I was excited, for national debate and discussion ought to follow such a bill that speaks to a newly discovered natural resource which teems with existential implications for Guyana.

I am saddened, however, that this most important legislation did not receive its due attention on the second reading because the national conversation was dominated the next day by unnecessary distractions.

Yours faithfully,

Ronald Austin Jr