I am taken aback by ExxonGuyana’s President, Mr. Alistair Routledge letter to editor in KN
Dear Editor,
To put politely, I am offended by the discourtesy and deceptiveness of Mr. Routledge in stating that “this publication continues to spread misinformation about ExxonMobil Guyana’s operations.”Mr. Routledge’s arrogance and audacity should stir resentment in all Guyanese. He is out of line, outrageous in his disrespectfulness to not just Kaieteur News, but every Guyanese with an honest, patriotic bone in them. The fact that he can cherry-pick what he chooses to respond to evidence how Exxon Guyana mismanages information and misinforms Guyanese. What power, benefit, in withholding? In trying to plaster that word “misinformation” on KN, it is surprising that a man as much in possession of his senses as Mr. Routledge could take a page out of the book of someone like Bharrat Jagdeo, and please himself by parroting it. Surely, Exxon and its Guyana president have more self-respect than that, a much closer association with higher standards of truth than what prevails locally.
The issue that raised the ire of Exxon is simple: how many barrels of Guyana’s oil is being used by the company in its daily production operations. Why is that so unnerving, maddening? It was a question first raised by International Attorney, Ms. Melinda Janki, with an answer still awaited. It was then taken further by KN’s publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, when he asked how many boatloads of Guyana’s oil Exxon is fetching away. Is it zero barrels, or 30,000, or 50,000 barrels of Guyana’s wealth being used in the company’s daily production operations (or being fetched away without Guyana knowing)?A straight question deserves a straight answer. Mr. Routledge should not provide a Jagdeo-type answer, one that obscures more than it enlightens. Instead, he must provide the kind of answer that aligns with Exxon’s world-class standards, as he himself has proclaimed at different times.
I note with interest the caginess of Exxon’s Guyana president in focusing his letter on Guyanese being always present “to witness every offshore oil lift.” Considering how inhibited Government of Guyana leaders operating onshore have come across in living up to their responsibilities to locals with developments involving their wealth, offshore witnesses do not instill abundant confidence. For Mr. Routledge’s information, too many Guyanese are too familiar with two sets of tracks (or books) that are so integral to business operations. In short, my response to Mr. Routledge’s attestation should need no translation “a fat lot of comfort their presence at the oil lifts brings. If the Exxon Guyana president is to be taken literally, things are so virginal pure in how his company conducts itself in this Guyana partnership. Yet there is so much darkness, so much silence, there is so much that doesn’t sit right with this national patrimony. It is why more Guyanese see Exxon for what it is and grit their teeth at why this should be so, how Guyana’s leaders can let this be so. Guyana’s leaders have been reduced to tools, and sensitive Guyanese institutions made into fools. Guyana’s political captains have been miniaturized by Exxon into the equivalent of mice, but Mr. Routledge is boldfaced and twofaced enough to speak so unashamedly about who spreads “misinformation.” What could be a more monstrous misusing of the elected of Guyana for Exxon’s cause and circus? What can be more detrimental to Guyanese interests today and in the foreseeable future?
Nonetheless, the issue remains hanging: how many barrels of Guyana’s oil is Exxon using in its daily production operations. Since he was energized to break his silence, Mr. Routledge has a duty to furnish a clear and straight answer. It would have more weight than what Vice President Jagdeo and Minister Bharrat have offered, confirm the caliber of the partner that Guyana has in Exxon. Further, it would be significant if the Exxon Guyana president would hold truly informative press engagements to keep Guyanese abreast of new oil developments, including new discovery amounts. That’s what reliable business partners do. Or why Guyana’s auditors were blocked from accessing some of the raw production data on its books. No partner for whom credibility and integrity are corporate imperatives would even think of, let alone engage in, such a move that says so much about its commitment to standards in a multibillion American dollar venture.
Even further and seeing that Mr. Routledge has stepped into the public domain, he is urged to share why a partner would be so secretive with the release of US billions in oil project expenses. I would think that, for its own reputation, there would be accelerated diligence in letting Guyanese know what they are being charged for and let them do their own scrutiny. Dissembling, distracting, and dodging have brought Guyanese to these points of doubt. Mr. Routledge knows what he must do, could accrue to Exxon’s credit.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
