Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 10, 2014 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
The opposition must examine this deal the PPP has signed with Brazil to develop hydropower near the Guyana-Brazil border. The PPP must publicly produce the details of this deal to the nation, for there is grave danger that lurks when a world power gets into deal-making with geopolitically careless, banana republic regimes so focused on retaining power and on the appearance of delivering development, they will sabotage themselves and an entire nation.
The world’s biggest hydropower dam is shared by Brazil and Paraguay. There is a joint entity that owns it but in reality, Brazil controls and dominates it. Paraguay must sell its entire half of the power generated by this hydro project to Brazil, and no one else. When this type of arrangement exists, then the buyer dominates the seller. Paraguay is forced to sell its hydropower at rock bottom prices and dirt cheap to Brazil or have that power go to waste. Sometimes, it has to sell below production cost, which is selling at a loss. Brazil gets the cheap energy it wants to accelerate faster to economic liberation and greatness while Paraguay faces spiraling debt to fund this debacle. The Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo had to threaten taking Brazil to the International Court of Justice to force Brazil to offer increased compensation under the deal.
I fear the slipshod PPP operators holding the fate of sovereignty in this country, proven by their near-disastrous saddling of this country with US $1 billion in debt over a dried-up Amaila Falls hydro project or their enslavement of this country to a hostile neighbour in Venezuela through Petrocaribe, will make the same atrocious errors they have consistently made and will continue to make. They will sell this country short.
Whether it is surrendering hundreds of thousands of acres to an Indian coffee company or seeking to hand over our territorial waters to Chinese super trawlers we have no capability of monitoring, the PPP has shown a frightening propensity to sell this country down the river to the highest bidder without careful analysis of the risks of these politically expedient endeavours.
Even the last gasp attempt to build the Brazil road and create linkages may now be a case of the horse already bolting the barn as Suriname is already creating highways, rail links and deepwater ports to accommodate Brazil’s thrust to find a faster Atlantic route. Suriname offers a shorter route than Guyana because it is a smaller country with less hostile territory.
Guyanese need to know the details of these deals on hydro development with Brazil, for we will not become another Itaipu where the power we generate is made worthless by the recklessness of those sitting in the seat of government.
M. Maxwell
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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