The Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) plans to use any influence it gains at the March 2020 elections to force a renegotiation oil production contracts and to push for environmental protection initiatives.
Expressing optimism that the party will win upwards of 13 seats in the National Assembly at the approaching polls, party Chairman Lenox Shuman on Thursday told a press conference, “We look forward and are hopeful that the population of Guyanese give us an opportunity to get to the table where we would force renegotiation of these contracts so that it better represents what Guyanese are looking for.
Regarding the 2% and 1% royalties to be provided to Guyana by virtue of the contracts with Exxon and Tullow, respectively, Shuman said the party would seek to revise the numbers so that they align with international standards.
He further lamented that there has been no single party that has looked out for the environment Shuman told reporters that the party will pursue “a very strong environmental policy to ensure that we have an environment that will be present for future generations.”
In the same vein as environmental protection, Shuman, noting indications that first oil is now projected to take place in December, warned against the possible implications of rushing to production without ensuring that all necessary environmental safeguards and protection are in place.
Urging Guyanese to recall the “environmental catastrophe” caused when the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the gulf of Mexico, Shuman urged “…all Guyanese and all stakeholders at this point to ensure that we do not rush to production” due to the potential harm.
He lamented the Petroleum Sharing Agreements with the oil companies, which he said do not contain enough safeguards to protect Guyana from any charges incurred due to environmental impacts of the oil operations.
“We know at this point that based on wind and the current of the ocean, that it is going to hit Venezuela, it is going to hit Colombia, it is going to hit the Caribbean Sea, and some of those small nations, and if we have to shoulder the costs for any negative environmental impact, then we are going to be bankrupt as a nation,” Shuman said of a potential spill.
