By GHK Lall- I look more closely at Exxon’s Mr. Alistair Routledge, what he does for his company. I look more sharply at what Guyana’s leaders do for this country. Regrettably, it’s what they don’t do. From which they keep the safest, farthest distance.
Mr. Routledge gives 150 percent daily for Exxon. Fault him, flay him, his efforts resonate for Exxon. Whatever his corporate commitments, he delivers. He came armed to Guyana. A hard-as-nails, unbending Exxon badman. He hasn’t disappointed. Guyanese don’t have to like him, but must regard his body of work for Exxon. His manifesto fulfilled. Mission accomplished. I salute a corporate soldier.
He knows when to lie low; when to go public. He has used silence, has used public relations, to Exxon’s advantage. This man has represented Exxon very well. Personally, too well. Shared publicly are thoughts of Mr. Routledge’s unflagging efforts to represent, protect, Exxon’s interests in Guyana. Summary: Mr. Rouledge is neither friend nor ally of Guyanese. But someone to recognise. I do.
It’s time for Guyanese leaders. There is no comparison; they don’t belong in the same conversation. No standing. They command no respect. They display neither rigor nor vigor, possess neither adaptability nor attributes to represent Guyanese with boldness and zealousness. However, not one of those is a fatal obstacle to lifting the soul of this nation. The PPP Govt must be honest, the first mandatory requirement. The Ali-Jagdeo axis must be genuinely committed to Guyana’s peoples, their causes.
They must learn from Alistair Routledge. How he represents corporate interests, they copy from his book and represent this country’s interests. How Mr. Routledge claws his way towards what benefits Exxon’s constituents, so also must Messrs. Ali and Jagdeo claw for what maximizes Guyanese benefits. Begone the emasculation of sanctity. Sanctity has its place. It can be managed differently.
Mr. Routledge has deployed the provisions in Exxon’s contract to the company’s advantage, so the Ali-Jagdeo tag team (heavyweight and featherweight) must use policies and procedures built into Guyana’s watchdog agencies for advantage. Interpret expansively.
Exxon has its contract. Guyana has its EPA and GRA. Stop muzzling them, handicapping them. Utilize them better. Dr. Jagdeo is wily enough. Rethink how Mr. Nandlall is deployed. Imagine how these few first steps could lift the soul of a sluggish nation. The PPP Govt cannot continue to giveaway Guyana’s wealth on a platter to Exxon, while Guyanese masses are without a plate.
When Mr. Routledge resorts to delay and protective strategies (audits, reserves), the Ali-Jagdeo crew demonstrates how much they learned by using the same cards. When Mr. Routledge, with Woods and board backing, can be brazenly bold, Ali and Jagdeo must manifest that they aren’t unschooled in those attributes, either. When he projects subterfuges, they prove they are no slouches in that department, too.
Drs. Ali and Jagdeo cannot go toe-to-toe with Woods and Routledge. Guyana loses. But when the Ali-Jagdeo partnership manifests the sagacity and perspicacity (one’s a painting, the other a disaster) of genuine patriots, then Alistair Routledge is reduced to a strawman. Especially with Guyana having the homefield advantage.
Again, envision the lifting and inspiration to the soul of this nation. From docile Guyanese to determined Guyanese. From passive, prostate natives, to potent patriots. There’s no opposition in Guyana. Could there be a better ad for One Guyana! The only opposition would be the PPP’s resistance to involving the opposition.
The spirit is there. Suppressed by the PPP using sanctity of contract as its national castration instrument. No exportations. No inspections. No courage, only guile. How to use Guyana’s institutional strengths to influence Exxon differently. How to rally restless Guyanese. Have them stand in Ogle and Duke Street, and get Guyana’s message across. For more. For patrimony. For the soul of Guyana found, inspired, lifted to the highest.
To date, the PPP Govt has operated like a punk and made Guyanese into pushovers; a laughingstock country. When Mr. Alistair Routledge drew his line in the sand (we have no duty…), it’s time for Excellencies Ali, Jagdeo, Nandlall to stand and show Guyanese, show the world, the kind of men they can be. Their duty now is to inspire the soul of this nation in response to Mr. Routledge’s unsparing, unavoidable, unacceptable truth(s).
