Dear Editor,
For a long time we have seen all sorts of condemning articles, letters, TV shows etc. against ExxonMobil and its role in Guyana’s economy and indeed, its effects on our future. I would like to point out that, first of all, Exxon came here to find and EXPLOIT (that’s what they do and we all know it) our oil resources when no other oil giant was willing to come. The investments, time and technological genius which Exxon had completed in extracting our oil from the depths of the ocean would stagger the imagination of any Guyanese citizen by just looking at the oil extraction ship with machinery so advanced it would shock the mind – so let’s thank Exxon and let us all realize that if we count six generations from the present, we could never duplicate what Exxon has accomplished outside our shores. Thank you, Mr. Exxon.
Oil is still the preferred energy source for our globe to function properly and experience, knowledge and resources are all paramount for this business. Exxon has its roots in the business genius of John D. Rockefeller who led the first global oil company in world history, Standard Oil, incorporated in 1870 and later broken up, one part of which became Exxon, in the early 1900s. To this day, Exxon is the leader of oil exploration and EXPLOITATION (that’s what they do and the world accepts it) with a solid history in this important industry – thank you Mr. Exxon for a solid background and reliable corporate leadership.
Editor, when there was no oil, Venezuela still wanted and demanded our land and now they want it more than ever, but Exxon is here and that is our protection – Venezuela will never attack and take Essequibo because they know full well the connections, influence and power which Exxon has at its fingertips to hurt that country with blows it cannot recover from – all types of blows. Not a blade of grass is also Exxon’s mantra, so thank you Mr. Exxon, for your presence in Guyana because we cannot afford to lose our land, period, to Venezuelan hegemony, knowing full well that Essequibo is like our Fort Knox or the Texas Panhandle.
Exxon has put Guyana on the world map and global businesses are already looking at Guyana with new interest and that’s good for us overall – this will bring better paying jobs, better educational opportunities and a better standard of living. With more money in our coffers, we can realize a better life for all but we should start by paying our teachers more, just as Exxon is paying our country more every year – thank you Mr. Exxon, pump more oil and help us secure a great future.
Editor, our governments, both APNU and the PPP/C have negotiated the oil deals with Exxon and it is the responsibility of whichever government is in power to spend our oil money wisely while biding our time to get better deals with that company downstream. Exxon is not to blame for our acceptance of contractual arrangements with that company. When IRAMCO discovered oil in the Middle East, those countries signed deals which were initially disadvantageous to them but, downstream, new deals were worked out where today, for example, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia controls all of its oil resources, along with most of the other countries in that region. ExxonMobil is not a carpetbagger company and those Guyanese who attack, distort and peddle nonsense about Exxon should be ashamed of themselves. Thank you Mr. Exxon, for giving us a life-line to the future after the humiliation in our past with that maniac, Jim Jones with his suicide squad and the political assassinations of Father Darke and Walter Rodney.
Exxon is the pinnacle of the private sector in Guyana and the present government should now work assiduously to make the private sector the real engine of growth by changing the way it looks at the future while running the country in a real slap-dash manner – not only in roads and hotels can we achieve a good future but instead, let us invest in our people by starting with salary increases for our teachers, nurses, police and other vital sections of our workforce. Thank you Exxon, for bringing, after decades of socialist and communist failures, a chance for us to have real private sector growth which will validate and invigorate our democracy.
Let all those who run this country deal with the insipid corruption, nepotism and inefficiency plaguing our country and they should seek a unity of all the people of Guyana to benefit from this oil gift which belongs to all of us. We need much more US investments and the government should utilize Exxon’s connections to encourage US companies to come and open new industries and agricultural entities. Again, thank you Mr. Exxon for all your investments, jobs and technical know-how you brought to our dear country and which will have a positive effect on our work ethic, our self-respect and our sense of being.
Sincerely,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)
