The Opposition has made official, its position on the time needed for the public to review the drafts of the new model Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) which were released by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government last Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference held today, Economic and Youth Policy Advisor, Elson Low called for “at least” two months to be given for public review and submissions and also demanded that the documents be laid in the National Assembly to be reviewed by the parliamentary committee on natural resources.
This was after he again denounced the government for only allowing the Guyanese public a measly two weeks to scrutinize the documents- an act he deemed as “simply ridiculous and disdainful of the people of Guyana”. “We hereby call for the PSA to be laid in the National Assembly and to be reviewed by a select committee and for at least two months for public submissions and discussions”, he said, whilst noting that Guyana is a large country, which makes it virtually impossible to consult a wide cross-section of the population in two weeks.
He further exhorted that “Guyana’s size, geography and limited infrastructure dictate that in order to properly engage with the public, any government should set aside much more time for consultation. The PPP just does not care what people in our hinterland and other outlying regions think.”
Low blamed the short timeline on the regime’s desire to be secretive and corrupt. He added that Guyana is witnessing a pattern of the PPP government rushing important documents through public consultations, and recounted what the opposition believed to be a similar attempt with the Natural Resources Fund Act in 2021.
He contended that the new Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill must not be similarly rushed through parliamentary and public oversight. Referring to the government’s approach as contemptuous, it was further noted that the party believes that at least 60 days should be given for comments and objections to matters of this kind. “We believe that at least 60 days should be given for comments and objections, when dealing with agreements, investment codes, and laws this vital,” he said.
Low also noted that the opposition’s next step is to move a motion in the National Assembly demanding that consultations on matters of national importance must be codified by law so that the process is not at the discretion of the PPP government.
The economist highlighted that rushing major agreements, investment codes, and legislation to completion, signals incompetence, ignorance, and corruption and has the potential to cost Guyanese tens of billions of USD.
