Americans have a terse saying. ‘We have to have a conversation’. When times get troubled (and murky and tricky), the time has come for a conversation. A hard one. One with no punches pulled. One that is in the face and a slap across the cheek.
‘What have you done?’ ‘What have you done with our people’s money, over three quarters of a billion Uncle Sam dollars?’ ‘What darkness, what deviousness, has consumed our money? What did the PPP do with it?’
Chairman of the US EXIM bank, John Jovanovic, has many pressing priorities. But carveout some time he did from his packed schedule to fly to Guyana for a tough talk with the PPP Govt. What went on with the soil? How the hell that was studied and not found out by youse guys? WTF (partial translation: what the f***) happened with US$759 million of EXIM’s money? WTF (Who the f***) do you think you are, Mr. Bigshot? Play games with Guyanese millions, but not with EXIM’s. It is a fine mess EXIM is in, and a rough road that Mr. Jovanovic has to walk with his board, his stakeholders.
EXIM took an eternity to loan Guyana those millions. There were doubts, notwithstanding the sweet, soothing mutual backslapping and congratulations when the loan was finally approved. The State Dept will distance itself, probably recommended Guyana (and the PPP) as good credit. Relative to the White House, it is just another day with another dirty (bodily excretions omitted to satisfy censors) country tricking, swindling, lying. Those who have a record of repeatedly bankrupting themselves, like to make fools of the morally and ethically bankrupt. Exhibit One: the PPP Govt. Chairman Jovanovic will see that closeup and to his acute discomfort soon enough.
Are these the people to whom EXIM lent hundreds of millions? There may be some housecleaning and tightening pending in the US, as a consequence of this Guyana Wales gas-to-Energy fiasco. Snafu (situation normal all f***[ed] up) and cluster bomb rolled into one ungodly mix piloted by unholy people. Lindsayca, is that black hole where the US$759 million disappeared? Who in their right senses wouldn’t do robust due diligence and fall over what they find? What was there in plain sight to be discovered? Figuera, a Maduro man during the glory days in Venezuela, and he is the big boss at the project in Wales, Guyana, by what infernal process was this allowed to happen?
I can hear the EXIM chairman apoplectic with rage. Is this how the PPP Govt treats with other people’s money? Where it becomes Russian roulette, US Halloween nightmare, of trick or treat? I have bad news for Mr. Jovanovic, which I am requesting the Political Affairs unit of the US Embassy to forward to him. Welcome to PPP Guyana, sir? Get used to it, Mr. Chairman. Apologies, for not being more helpful, but the ground in Guyana is this barren having been sown with nuclear waste by this PPP Govt. A dirty bunch. MGM had The Dirty Dozen. In Guyana, there is the PPP with its cast of dirty thousands. Almost every man a hustler, scavenger. Quite close to every woman a Babylonian acrobat, and with vital statistics to match. Not so much with morals, but very much with millions. From lack of ethics with other people millions.
Since John Jovanovic has plenty of answering to do before his people, he couldn’t wait. Now he’s set for GT and a showdown with the PPP militia on the disposition of EXIM’s millions, the people around them. Plus, the outlook for this US$2 billion project that’s going sideways and upside down, rather than straight ahead. The PPP has a surprise waiting for him. Another US$250 million needed. I can hear Mr. Jovanovic: get the f*** out of my face. Now! Three quarter billion already loaned, and begging for another quarter billion? C’mon! EXIM is not stupid. EXIM isn’t into charity. Get somebody who has answers, real answers. Stop pawing the air around like some nervous, gaseous, horse. Where is the other fella, the self-appointed bright one that has all the answers? Let me hear what he has to say on this Wales disaster.
My fellow Guyanese (and Americans): a disaster, it is. Have a nice talk, Mr. Jovanovic. Do drop by on the way out. Ask the PPP about me.
