Dear Editor,
Reference is made to the article titled, “Serious questions raised on gas to shore project at scoping meeting -sales to be made to third parties” (SN July 9). Clearly, Exxon and this government intended to put on a dog and pony show for Guyanese, and throw them some milk bones to keep them quiet. For when the probing questions came from Simone Mangal and Maya Trotz, and others, Exxon’s talking head, Erik Demicco, lost his touch, his tongue, and his truths.
In many ways, the people of Exxon looked and sounded like Guyana’s Vice President, where this billion-dollar project is concerned. Exxon’s man of the moment couldn’t tell a straight story, because the company’s objectives are so twisted, secretive. Spin doctor Demicco came with a plan: drown Guyanese in technical details about diameters and lengths of pipeline. Exxon attempted to do a dance around poor Guyanese by loading them with packaged jargons. But what Exxon and Mr. Demicco (and the PPP government) did not reckon with was engaged and energized Guyanese, asking sharp questions about ownership of the gas, the pipeline, and so forth. One would have thought that Exxon would come with clean ready answers at fingertips, simple and straight ones, to those easy questions. What could be easier than those questions? Why the hedging and ducking with red herrings intended to distract, perhaps deceive? Like people who owe money and don’t want to pay? Or secrets that they have to hide, until they can come up with a soothing cover story to buy some time?
Editor, I think Exxon sent Mr. Demicco to sell us a pig in bag, which allows the PPP government to shout that public consultations were held, and there was a free flow of information; therefore, there is nothing left to answer, since everything was put on the table. That would be a patented falsehood, given what transpired in the virtual meeting. If they had an arm’s length meeting, Exxon’s people risked being tarred and feathered, and run out of town. I so recommend. As an example of the deviousness of Exxon and its PPP partners, SN reported that “Demicco stated that the project is in its early stages and commercial aspects of the project are not part of the public scoping.” If those are not, then what is? And if they will not be, then why not?
The commercial aspects have to be an integral part of any public scoping. Exxon would have done its in-depth feasibility studies very early, its scenario scaling, and has all details in hand. We want to know, we must know. Those ownership issues are crucial. And so are those raised by Ms. Trotz re demand and climate change factors. Given this revealing meeting, this I say: the project raises worse issues now, than when first dressed up by the VP, and sold to Guyanese as a must have. Why is everything that some touch always have to be so shady?
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
