Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, in her usual style of address, this morning made no qualms to state that there should be no compromise, by any nation, when it comes to prioritizing local content.
Mottley registered her position as she addressed the international energy conference and expo at Marriott, Kingston Georgetown Guyana.
She emphasized, “The day that we do not provide opportunities for our citizens, who participate in active citizenship, to be able to benefit from the patrimony of our countries, is the day we sow the seeds of destruction for our nations.”
She further stated that “It is our duty to be able to smooth that over but to ensure that at no stage, as newly independent nations of our world that we leave our citizens as tenants in their own land.
Following the recent passage of Guyana’s local content bill and subsequent assent of President Irfaan Ali, there had been chatter in different quarters about how the law contradicts CSME.
A lot of the opposition mounted to the legal provision for Guyanese to be the primary beneficiaries of their own resource came from Trinidadian businesses.
Guyanese pushed back against the insinuation that they do not have right to install legislative protection regarding local content. Their views were reflected on social and in print media as well. On the other hand, Trinidadians published several letters in their local newspapers that was interpreted as disparaging. There were even letters written by Trinidadians chronicling the struggles of Guyanese who sought refuge in Trinidad decades ago under the rule of the late former President, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.
Mottley believes in “smoothing over.” She said that “difficult conversations” must be had in general and in CARiCOM. But even as efforts are pursued to avert further discord, compromise must not be made on local content, she said.
“It is our duty to be able to smooth that over but to ensure that at no stage, as newly independent nations of our world that we leave our citizens as tenants in their own land.”
