It was on March 10, 2017 that the Government of Guyana hired Oil and Gas Consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal as the President’s Advisor on all petroleum matters. But when that one year contract came to an end, the government failed to make provisions for the immediate renewal of Dr. Mangal’s contract.
According to the Oil and Gas Consultant, he hopes to be “re-engaged” with the Government in August. He said, “I do not have any indication to the contrary from the President.”
Just weeks before his contract came to an end in March last, Dr. Mangal was quite candid about Guyana’s unpreparedness for the oil and gas sector. In early February, the Oil and Gas Advisor lamented the fact that Guyana was, and still is, without a Petroleum Commission, a Sovereign Wealth Fund and a strong institutional framework.
Dr. Mangal also spoke against the two percent royalty the Government secured in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil. He noted on several occasions that this is not in keeping with international norms.
Even when the political administration contended otherwise, Dr, Mangal was adamant that Guyana’s lopsided PSA can be renegotiated. Since making the aforementioned statements, Government agents have made statements to the effect that Dr. Managal “speaks for himself and not on behalf of the government of Guyana.”
In fact, President David Granger had told the media that the Government’s policy for the oil and gas sector is not decided by its advisor.
