Exxon is saddling the Guyanese people with hundreds of millions of US dollars in PRE-CONTRACT COSTS. Even before, Guyana earned a single dollar from the company’s operations, it was billed US$460 for pre-contract costs up to 2015 and another US$500M for the period between 2015 and 2017, making a grand total of US$960M.
To add insult to injury, no Guyanese can verify what Exxon is doing a hundred plus miles off our coast. Yet, Exxon has billed us, and we have agreed to pay, almost a billion US dollars for things which we cannot verify. Why would our government agree to pay such costs?
Having given away the Canje and Kaieteur Oil Blocks in a secret deal to mysterious friends, it as if we are now paying Exxon, through these exorbitant pre-contract costs, to take the blocks off of our hands.
Exxon is ruthlessly taking advantage of Guyana’s lack of experience in the oil industry. And they are doing this with the connivance of our political leaders.
If we continue this way, the oil may not mean prosperity but tragedy.
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It is estimated that over one million Guyanese, when counting their dependents, live outside of Guyana. This exceeds the population of Guyana, which is now about 750,000. Many left early in the 50’s and 60’s while others went with the next wave in the 70’s and 80’s. The latest wave left over the last 20 years. This outflow of Guyanese, therefore, covers some three generations. This outflow still continues today, where over 80 % of U.G. graduates now leave after graduating. We hope this changes, and soon.
Guyanese, like most others, try to keep their culture and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. The problem has been that many Guyanese have not looked back, or if they did it was only fleetingly. This means that the younger generations and those who left at an early age know very little about Guyana since many have not visited the country. Also, if they do get information about Guyana, it is usually negative and thus the cycle of non-interest is cultivated.
This Guyana Diaspora Online Forum , along with its monthly newsletter, aims at bringing Guyanese together to support positive news, increase travel and tourism in Guyana and, in general, foster the birth of a new Guyana, which has already begun notwithstanding the negative news that grabs the headlines. As the editor and manager of the publication, I am committed to delivering Blog entries and Newsletters that are politically balanced, and focused on the positive ideas we wish to share and foster among Guyanese.
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