First it was Jordan then came Goolsarran

Sep 27, 2024 News, The GHK Lall Column

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Kaieteur News – Former Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan, took the first bite, and it was bitter: there is the probably illegal at work.  Next, along came former Auditor General and international civil servant, Mr. Anand Goolsarran and he also did not pull his punches: this hazy business involving pipelines laid by Exxon to the Wales Gas-to-Energy (GtE) complex, and company loan that makes it possible, is counter to what the law requires.  These two Guyanese of considerable governance vintage are not lightweights.  They know what they are talking about, regardless of what anybody from Jagdeo to possibly Nandlall may say in efforts to minimize or undermine their representations.  Both Mr. Jordan and Mr. Goolsarran present compelling arguments about the legality of PPP Government loan maneuvers with Exxon, and where the money is going to come from when the debt becomes due.

For starters, what’s up with all the secrecy about this whole Wales GtE project, billion-dollar pipeline included?  The whole three-prong project now stands at US$2 billion, but no Guyanese outside of Bharrat Jagdeo’s secret society has any idea about the basis of this project.  Jagdeo says he has all the cards but is so concerned about the reaction in the local environment that he keeps them in the tightly zipped inner pocket of his jacket.  He says he has aces and kings for the Wales GtE project but keeps them hidden.  Being Jagdeo, age and eyesight may be catching up with him, in that has mistaken jacks and jokers for aces and kings.  Guyanese who have lived here longer know that this has happened before, thanks to the wily machinations of Jagdeo in each of the official capacities that he has served in before.  If the Wales GtE vision is this good, holds this great promise for Guyanese, then any leader of substance would rush to share that with any audience that he could find.

Guyana’s parliament is still waiting.  Both Messrs. Jordan and Goolsarran have made clear that they, too, are watching and waiting.  They wait to see how these out-of-sight, outside-the-backdoor, pipeline arrangements between the PPP Government (Jagdeo) and Exxon play out.  They and some other Guyanese are watching that National Resource Fund, and what will happen to it with that loan from Exxon for laying the pipeline.  As the former minister asked, “how much is the [Exxon] loan?”  Does any Guyanese outside of Winston Brassington and Bharat Jagdeo know what the terms of the loan are?  Both Dr. Brassington and Dr. Jagdeo are men of extraordinary integrity, so there should not be any great difficulty is providing answers to those routine questions.  The problem could be that the extraordinary integrity of the two men is of such a rare degree that it is unfamiliar to ordinary men and women.  Hence, the delay in laying any documents in the National Assembly, sharing any information with Guyanese, and saying anything other than ‘trust me’.  If there is hesitancy in doing that with a dollar, Guyanese could appreciate the commotion with doing so for a billion American ones.  Or if this whole secret shebang were to be hauled before the public, a whopping US$2 billion and counting.  This has been part of the bitter experience of Guyanese taxpayers: when Jagdeo sets his sights on projects like these, there is no limit to his counting, and his skill in dumping that on the heads of locals.  There should be no need for any mentioning of sugar or bridge construction, and who ended up holding the bag.  It is one thing to give citizens a heavy bag to hold.  But there must be leadership decency, at least, to remove the blindfold wrapped around their eyes.

Guyanese want cheap and reliable electricity, as has been said so often in this space, that the count has been lost.  It would help immensely if either the PPP Government or Jagdeo (there is some duplication there) gave some “prapatrorkaa-gaaz” (supporting documents), on all three phases of the Wales project so that Guyanese can endorse it or put as much distance as they wished from it.  Once Dr. Jagdeo has the goods, he is best advised to put them on the table, with nothing withheld.  What could be more to his benefit?  What could do more for his reputation and that extraordinary integrity that was identified about him, which are both now under some severe weather?  The season of government secrets (Jagdeo’s) has been allowed to last too long.  Financial feasibility studies, Exxon pipeline loan details and arrangements, should not come under the roof of PPP family secrets.  Surely, there is neither leadership incest nor a nest of vipers lurking around this Wales project to tear the skin off from Guyanese.  President Ali who is always good for a round of hearty transparency must see to it that Oil VP Jagdeo delivers what he [Ali] swears his government is all about.  To prolong this state of secrecy makes a mockery of transparency, the presidency and Excellency Ali.  This is his government.  He deserves better.  Guyanese deserve better.  All citizens are encouraged to ponder this little thought.  If a leader, a government – any of the two at any time – decides on a project that stirs their fancy, then carries it out in secrecy, then that oil money is no longer a national fund.  It transforms into a leadership piggybank.  Every Guyanese knows what pigs do around a trough. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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