Activity Panel discussion
Host Moray House Trust
Date Thursday 14th March 2019
Five NGOs gathered to discuss “Guyana’s Oil: The Road to Perdition or Prosperity?” Dr Thomas Singh served as the moderator. There was a lively and extended Q&A session after the presentations with the consensus perhaps best summarised by one panellist who concluded that “we need to mobilise the debate among ordinary people.”
Here are a few key quotations from the panel:
Up to now, much of the conversation about Guyana’s oil was “not
intended to include the average Guyanese.” [Karen Da Souza, Red Thread]
“Indigenous peoples need to be spoken with, not spoken to.” [Dr Laura George, the Amerindian People’s Association]
“Who is controlling the narrative?” [Derwayne Wills, Guyana National Youth Council]
In his presentation, ‘Confronting the Climate Crisis: the need for a national consensus‘, Mike Mc Cormack, representing Policy Forum Guyana, showed how “a climate compatible future” will require an entirely different approach to natural resources.
Frederick Collins of Transparency International Guyana Inc’s presentation was sub-titled ‘Getting a better deal from Exxon‘. He referred to a news article published in April 2018, titled ‘The Breach of the 60 Block Maximum’. In it, TIGI pointed out that, not only was the area granted to Exxon way in excess of the stipulated limit, it was also issued under a single licence. Mr Collins used a diagram (illustrated) to compare area limits for a single licence. He further noted that whereas Brazil received USD 2.3 billion in return for licences granted in an offshore area of 16,400 sq km, Guyana received USD 18 million in return for a single licence granted to EEPGL in an offshore area of 26,800 sq km.
Moray House Trust extends warm thanks to those who participated and to those who attended. The conversation continues.
Clips
Designers in development: Dr Laura George, Amerindian People’s Association
You Tube Clip: https://youtu.be/hj2s1VJd-78
Youth: Derwayne Wills, Guyana National Youth Council
You Tube Clip: https://youtu.be/lruXv9F82hI
Oil – Beyond the talk: Karen de Souza
You Tube Clip: https://youtu.be/ggKJyaJFmaw