Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis is urging Guyanese to unite and demand greater control, transparency and accountability over the country’s expanding oil wealth, arguing that the increased share of petroleum profits must translate into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
In his Eye on Guyana column published August 16, Lewis said the public disclosure that Guyana is entitled to a 50 per cent share of oil profits should trigger a national conversation about who controls the country’s resources and how the resulting revenues are spent.
“This is not a minor matter. It is further testimony as to why Article 13 of the Constitution matters and why citizens must demand their rightful place in the management and decision-making processes of the State.”
The debate follows the completion of ExxonMobil’s recovery of its development costs in the Stabroek Block. ExxonMobil said in July that it had recovered the US$55 billion invested in the block, triggering a significant change in the allocation of production under the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement. President Irfaan Ali subsequently acknowledged that Guyana’s share of production had increased to about 39.8 per cent as cost recovery declined.
The PSA provides for Guyana to receive a 2 per cent royalty and 50 per cent of profit oil after recoverable costs are deducted. The agreement allows contractors to recover up to 75 per cent of production costs from production before profit oil is shared.
Lewis said the shift in Guyana’s revenue position makes public participation in decisions over the country’s wealth increasingly important.
“Our immediate concern must be how the new 50 percent income should be managed, how those decisions are made, whose voices are heard and whether the benefits reach citizens according to national need rather than political preference.”
He criticised the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration over what he described as a record of secrecy and said petroleum resources must not be treated as the property of the Government of the day.
“Our national resources cannot be treated as the property of whichever political administration occupies office, for they belong to all the people.”
Lewis argued that spending priorities should be determined through a national framework, with proposals from constituencies assessed on need, merit and national importance rather than political considerations.
He also questioned the absence of a comprehensive, nationally endorsed development strategy to guide the use of billions of dollars in oil revenues.
“Meanwhile, billions of dollars in oil revenues are being spent in the absence of a national plan. No measurable priorities. No mechanism through which every Guyanese can see how the country’s wealth is being transformed into a better quality of life.”
Lewis pointed to Guyana’s National Development Strategy of the 1990s as an example of a broader stakeholder approach to national planning and said the country needs a similar framework for the oil era.
He urged citizens to focus on issues that cut across political divisions, including wages, pensions, healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure, social services and the rising cost of living.
“We must refuse to allow political divisions to distract us from issues affecting every household—wages, pensions, healthcare, education, housing, public infrastructure, social services and the escalating cost of living.”
The GTUC general secretary also raised concerns about political discrimination, particularly against citizens who do not support the governing party.
While acknowledging freedom of association as a constitutional right, Lewis said political independence must not come at the cost of access to employment or economic opportunities.
“Those who choose to stand outside the corridors of power must have the same constitutional rights and access to opportunity as those who support the Government.”
Lewis further called on the parliamentary opposition to pursue an amendment to the Appropriation Act requiring at least 60 per cent of National Assembly members to support passage of the national budget.
He said the GTUC has advocated the measure for years because it would strengthen the constitutional objective of inclusionary democracy and prevent a simple parliamentary majority from excluding large sections of the population from decisions concerning the country’s future.
“A simple parliamentary majority must never become a licence to exclude large sections of the population from decisions concerning their own future.”
Lewis warned that Guyana’s oil wealth could become a source of further political division if citizens do not demand greater participation in decisions over its use.
“Our oil must not become another instrument of political domination, discrimination and marginalisation.”
He said the increased oil revenues should be treated as a national asset and used to address the needs of the entire population.
“The 50 percent profit belongs to all Guyanese. They are entitled to full disclosure of the nation’s resources, transparency in expenditure, equal treatment across constituencies and an economic agenda resulting from meaningful participation of all stakeholders.”
Lewis concluded with a call for Guyanese to reject political ownership of the country’s natural resources.
“The resources of this nation are bigger than the PPP/C, APNU, PNCR, WIN, FGM, or any political party or individual politician. They belong to all of us and we, the Guyanese people, are not Guyana’s new carpet baggers.”
He added:
“We must also recognise and accept that our participation in this nation is not a privilege it is our constitutional right!”
