OGGN to launch Legal Defence Fund to help fight oil contract cases

Aug 17, 2022 News

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Kaieteur News – The Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN), comprised of a team of passionate Guyanese on a mission to educate the public, and demand changes to the unfair provisions in the 2016 oil contract signed with American oil major ExxonMobil, is advancing its efforts.

The team is presently in the process of establishing a Legal Defence Fund that is geared at financing legal challenges to the lopsided deal.

Dr. Jerry Jailall, a former University Lecturer in the United States and a born Guyanese, in a recent article said the idea of the Fund was first suggested by Attorney-at-Law and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, while delivering his presentation at an Oil and Gas symposium hosted on Saturday.

In his remarks, Ram suggested that those concerned with renegotiation of the oil contract and the related legal actions, should create a Legal Defence Support Fund. To this end, Dr. Jailall encouraged that “Guyanese everywhere” should “chip in when the fund has been set up.”  The initiative will be spearheaded by the Civil Society organisation, ‘Our Wealth, Our Country’. It was explained that the group is ironing out the details regarding the launch of a ‘Go Fund Me’ page to raise funds towards this cause.

In underlining the importance of the Fund, Dr. Jailall argued, “These lawsuits have become necessary because the people who should have been leading these efforts – the Government and the Opposition – have their boots firmly planted on the side of the rapacious oil barons against their own impoverished, destitute people, whose existence over the past six decades have been one of “persistent poverty” under both the PNC and PPP.”

Furthermore, he reasoned that instead of filing legal challenges against the oil companies, to repair loopholes, and fix defective clauses to get more money for its people, in keeping with their election campaign promises, the PPP Government is defending the contract and is on the same side with Exxon.

Similarly, the advocate pointed out that the Opposition is “tripping and uses the battery of Attorneys on their side to file many frivolous lawsuits, instead of supporting the legal defence team of the renegotiation movement.”

Dr. Jailall went on to note that in Guyana today, citizens are challenged in finding an attorney that would be ready to fight a case against the oil companies, or even against the government.

To this end, he reminded, “Many of the attorneys today were funded by the taxpayers when they attended the (University of the West Indies) UWI portion of their legal studies. Some got scholarships.” As such, he enquired, “Where is their loyalty to the country when we need them the most to fight the people’s battles?”

To that end, the activist pointed out that without a better oil deal through renegotiation, the country would not be making the right economical turns to change the lives of its poor population. “Don’t be fooled by new hotels, shore bases, and related oil infrastructure that are subsidized by state tax-free waivers, and duty-free concessions. That alone is not progress. Poor people would not be better off,” Dr. Jailall asserted.

Instead, he opined that true progress would be reflected on the lives of the people when a new compensation structure based on the principle of a “living wage” is implemented, along with unemployment benefits for all, pensions for all – including the self- employed and housewives – with built in annual cost of living adjustments. He argued that using sporadic cash grants is a mere “pittance” measure that is being employed by the government that refuses to implement a long-term solution to the issues citizens are faced with.

As such, the advocate noted, “Neither the Government nor Opposition would fight for us in this oil renegotiation issue. We have to do it ourselves, and remember how to vote in 2025.  Your support for this upcoming Legal Defence Fund for the oil contract renegotiation would be very important. It’s our wealth and our country, and we must care.”

Jailall also commended the Publisher of Kaieteur News, Mr. Glenn Lall, in funding a lawsuit out of his personal funds to challenge the tax holiday being enjoyed by ExxonMobil, as well as other citizens who have filed environmental lawsuits against the company with their own resources.

About OGGN

OGGN was created in the summer of 2017. The body is a registered non-profit organisation in New York City, United States and has no political association.

OGGN’s mission is to advocate for the rule of law, environmental protection, and financial norms with respect to oil exploration and production in Guyana.

The organisation comprises of professionals such as Mr. Alfred Bhulai, a former Science teacher, Dr. Janette Bulkan, an Associate Professor at University of British Columbia, Darshanand Khusial, a Financial Researcher, with qualifications in management accounting and securities and several others.

The team has been using various platforms to stress the need for renegotiation of the oil contract. Letters are published almost daily in the newspapers, and only on Saturday last, an oil and gas forum was hosted in the United States to spread awareness on the resource curse.

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