Dear Editor,
The revelation that ExxonMobil paid for the trip of the Minister of Petroleum’s wife, First Lady Sandra Granger, Head of the Department of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe and entourage is extremely disappointing to learn. It would seem that the Granger administration is incapable of comprehending what constitutes ethical and acceptable behaviour.
In coaching sport, we look for ‘teaching’ moments and then there are times when repetitions of mistakes are so glaring, that the coach must take the ‘hairdryer’ approach made famous by Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United fame and bellow at players. This is not a teaching moment; that was in 2017 when five of Granger’s Cabinet went on an all-expenses junket to ExxonMobil headquarters in Houston.
The First Lady Sandra Granger should have been better advised and her office should have stood all expenses for her participation in this ceremony, the naiveté of the Minister of Petroleum, President Granger is stunning and again raises questions of his competence in governance.
Dr. Mark Bynoe who has spent his time as Head of the Department of Energy engaged, among other things, in talks with primary school children and in churches delivering sermons on ‘Christian oil and gas’ , has seminally failed the people of Guyana by not producing a working local content policy, regulations and enforcing legislation. Dr. Bynoe is a professional and must have known that he cannot and must not accept any paid expense or reimbursement of any kind from any entity, more so one which he is expected to regulate. Dr. Bynoe has compromised his office.
Arguments about the suitability of the First Lady for the launching of the FPSO are a distraction, for that is not in question. The facts are that the Head of the Department of Energy and the wife of the Minister of Petroleum accepted an improper gift of travel; these are unquestionable facts, damning ones.
The deep waters of oil production are filled with sharks; let us use every caution of ethics and anti-corruption to avoid serious bites.
Yours faithfully,
Robin Singh
