…in self-interest
The plot thickens – even as it expands! – in the ongoing saga of the hustle of a few who’ve been hypocritically posing as fighting for the economically “marginalised” African Guyanese community, even as they’ve been single-mindedly and voraciously seeking via their connections with the PNC-led Government, to fill their own pockets. And as usual, Eric Phillips of SARA and ACDA is in the thick of the thickening plot!!
The first episode exposed Phillips and cohorts while loudly proclaiming their struggle to recover “ancestral lands” for African Guyanese, had used their positions to lease thousands of acres of strategically-located lands that would make them billionaires in the new oil-based economy – while their “constituency” waited for manana. But now an even bigger scam was revealed, the irony of which is just mind-boggling!!
SARA and Phillips claimed the Ramotar Administration made a crooked deal in the closing days of his administration in 2015 when he leased two oil blocks – the Kaieteur and Canje to two foreign companies, because they had no experience in deep-sea drilling. OK…Well, someone from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) leaked an application for a licence to drill in a block – referred to as Block C – adjoining those two blocks, but which is located in ULTRA deep water!! (Will the Police be called in??)
And guess who’re the principals in the company – ABR Oil and Gas Exploration – which applied in Oct 2016? No other than Eric Phillips, Charles Ceres and several others from ACDA – Violet Baptiste-Smith et al. “ABR” stands for “African Business Roundtable” which the same parties launched a MONTH AFTER THEIR APPLICATION FOR THE OIL BLOCK!! Their experience in drilling in ULTRA DEEP WATER? They claimed one of them worked with a company which drilled ONE WELL ON LAND!!
This scam is probably another reason why the election’s being dragged out since Granger’s hand-picked Director of Energy said he’ll be allocating new blocks in first-quarter 2020. Imagine the billions in US greenbacks these scamps would’ve made – while ordinary Guyanese of all stripes and persuasions “suck salt”!!
But contacted for a reaction on the contradiction, Phillips claimed not to be a member of the ABR any longer – as did Ceres, who said as far as he knew Phillips was still an Executive, but the ABR has been involved every year after its formation in discussions with the Ministry of Finance Budget preparations. And as late as Sept 13, 2018, he was described as representing them as Executive Director Dr Eric Phillips.
But don’t expect SARA to investigate even the US$5 million the ABR crew claimed they had as working capital!!
Money laundering??
…in Government
Ramjattan, the man who figures he’ll be the coalition candidate for Prime Minister in the coming election because his dead meat AFC says so, is battling Nagamootoo who’s the incumbent and not letting go. After all, Harmon had later called the latter “royalty”!! So Ramjattan gotta find some way to break out of the pack. Seems he’s settled on becoming a cheerleader for the Govt remaining in office, even though as a lawyer, he knows they haven’t a leg to stand on.
He just came up with a principle of the “impossibility of a vacuum government”! What’s that? you ask, Dear Reader? You only heard about “vacuum cleaners”?? Well, Ramjattan has always been up on the law and its language. Remember that famous Latin phrase, meaning “see you later”, which became his trademark…haul yuh ass!??
But “vacuum government” can only mean one where Ministers can’t be found who actually do the jobs they’re supposed to do!
Doesn’t this describe Ramjattan Public Security Ministry and the PNC-led Government??
…in population
An economist from the CDB projects our population being reduced by 25 per cent by 2100. This just means he’s suffering from the fallacy of “presentism” and extrapolating from the present trends under this PNC-led coalition.
He should take another gander after 2020, when they’d have been booted out!!