Dear Editor,
It is strange the lengths to which the Vice President went public to share, he and (possibly) his government’s position, on Opposition nominees for serving on Guyana’s Natural Resources Fund (NRF) board. What the VP did was confirm the fears of a good number of Guyanese in the article captioned “Jagdeo gives reasons for blocking opposition nominees to NRF Board, refusal to compromise on spending” (Demerara Waves, March 25). I think what was articulated speaks for itself, as to the direction(s) envisioned by the PPP Government. This is the sum of what matters related to NRF Board boils down to, in its essences.
The VP is quoted as saying, that Mr. Dunstan Barrow “has enormous financial skills; he is not an active politician, so we needed that, we needed diversity but not political diversity there.” This gets curiouser by the moment. Without knowing anything about Mr. Barrow, other than his tenure in the bauxite industry, I will agree that he must have had “enormous financial skills” which the Vice President touted. But what is peculiar here is that convenient position that “he is not an active politician.” There is apparently a double standard at work in this instance. For as we are well aware, one doesn’t have to be engaged, or even affiliated, to be considered active. It would be helpful if this leader and his defenders were not to insult Guyanese some more by pointing to Mr. Joseph Hamilton or Carl Greenidge, as they serve their purposes. On the other hand, the mere identification with, and the accompanying suspicion of, taint through contradicting the PPP and the VP is enough to condemn any such Guyanese as undesirable subversives.
According to the Demerara Waves story, the government wanted the Board to remain ‘a technical body’ but hedged when asked what would have been government’s position if the Coalition had nominated a technical expert. Specifically, the VP said that a “number of people there were political and some have pecuniary interest; a couple that were there are doing work for oil and gas companies; accounting work, auditing work; they have pecuniary interest.” Using this same standard, it would be enlightening to learn of the VP’s position on the Private Sector Commission nominee to the Board, and how he and his entity could be totally divorced from commercial opportunities, which serve “pecuniary interest.” If the VP say that the private sector is lacking in “pecuniary interest” in oil and gas prospects, then he might be the only Guyanese who thinks along those lines.
But, as I interpret matters relative to this NRF Board, it is the VP’s own words that condemn him, sets him up to come across as unpersuasive, someone with serious interest in how the NRF Board goes about its business. This is what the VP said: “we needed diversity here, but not political diversity.” It would be revealing what Guyanese think of that. For this mysterious “diversity” of the VP comes down this: the PPP wants no pushback, not even a whiff of it, and no matter how constructive. The PPP and VP have no tolerance for clashing positions regarding the recommendations and dispositions involving precious oil money. Which is why these shams about “diversity” and “pecuniary interest” are nothing more than political window dressing. Guyanese are familiar with these pretenses where oil and gas are concerned. There are public consultations that are a joke; and the Environmental Protection Agency that is a bigger comedy. It is not in the interest of Guyana with this oil. Not when there is cunning attempts to destroy Guyana’s promise more.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
