OPINION: Routledge on “right government”, he should be roasted

Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 November 2022, 10:06 by Denis Chabrol

By GHK Lall

Some things are so beyond the pale that they can never be acceptable.  What Exxon’s Country Head stated at Leonora about the “right government” (KN November 9) is off the wall and out of bounds.  Mr. Routledge is not only out of line; I will make the case that he is out of his mind.  He is Country Head for an oil company, not the head of this country’s government.

The audacity and arrogance of this American company executive is simply unspeakable, an indication of how these Americans look upon Guyana, and their palpable scorn for non-whites anywhere, which means colored Guyanese.  Alistair Routledge has now come to be the poster boy for this insulting presence and posture.  What could ever go into the head of Country Head Routledge that he feels equipped and compelled to inform Guyanese about who and what is the “right government” for this country?  I must ask the question: is it a case that this man feels that he can say anything on any issue at any place here, and be allowed to geta way with it?  That is, with half of Guyana seeing absolutely nothing wrong with where went, and what he said; while the other hand is infuriated that he should have the temerity to venture where he did with this beauty about “right government.”

Recently, I had cause to scan some media reactions from my fellow Guyanese involving New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, and her comments on discrimination in Guyana, an issue about which I have spoken repeatedly.  Some have said that she meddled and interfered in Guyana’s affairs.  Using their exact same standard, I am surprised that they didn’t take that position, or ever voiced that, during 2018-2020 with the efforts of the ABCE countries during a tumultuous time.  I watch now to gauge their reactions and positions in the light of Mr. Routledge’s bold, and even bizarre, statement at Leonora.

I do not think for a moment that it was a slip of the tongue, or anything less than deliberate, on Mr. Routledge’s part.  The attitude and actions of the PPP Government have made the people of Exxon, like Mr. Routledge here, and Woods et al in Texas, extremely delighted and comfortable on the way things are in Guyana.  In fact, the environment is so welcoming and comforting here that Mr. Routledge could feel right at home in saying that the “right government” is what makes the gas to energy project at Wales (WGTE) possible.  This is because the Exxon people have assured themselves that they have Guyanese leaders eating out of their hands, and being very pleased in having the privilege to do so.  This is just grossly condescending to whatever stands for the national sovereignty of this country, and degrading to our entire leadership.  Even the PPP Government should shrink from such an endorsement since it makes them look dependent, and unable to stand on their own feet because they have to be helped to power, and then aided in governing, with approval publicly stated.  From my perspective, it is comment, a compliment, that can backfire.

Leaving alone for now the understanding that Exxon makes out like a banshee with the laying of the pipeline (and whatever else surrounds that), and that profitability should be the sole focus of Exxon and its Country Head, Guyanese do not know half as much as they need to know on this WGTE.  But here is Mr. Routledge inserting Exxon into Guyanese politics, and not giving a damn about how he goes about it.  For sure, Mr. Routledge has already gotten his pipeline, and Guyanese can thrill to the anticipation of the debt.  In his book, that is “right government.”

In related fashion, I am asking myself whether Exxon via Mr. Routledge has just consigned the PNC and the other political groups  to the dustbin, and whether it has already decided on the 2025 elections, as to which group must be the only winner.  Or, to say this differently, that it can only be, must only be, the PPP.  I would be appalled if anyone would talk about context and what Mr. Routledge actually meant, or didn’t mean.  This is my position: Mr. Routledge has every right to speak about profits for Exxon and Guyana, and the high potential for unprecedented prosperity for Guyanese.  But those must be his limits.  When he dares to delve into the perilous waters of Guyanese politics, then he has gone too far, and by many miles, all forbidden.

Clearly what Exxon is doing here and signaling here, through Mr. Routledge’s purposeful words, is to take a side in our bruising and scarring political battles.  It is that Exxon is for the PPP and with Exxon standing by the PPP, it should not, must not, and cannot lose.  As a Guyanese I am incensed.  I watch now to see what the Opposition is going to do about this dangerous intrusion in the politics, even the actual governance, of this country.  From the 1960s onward, Guyana was undermined through the church, the trade unions, the commercial sector, and the media, among other notables, compliments of the American CIA.  In Guatemala in 1954, it was United Fruit Company.  In Chile in 1970, it was Pepsi and ITT.

In 2022, is it Exxon paving the way for 2025, and from now?  Seems like the Monroe Doctrine just made a visible and most audible return to centerstage.  A garland for Routledge and Excellency Sarah Ann Lynch, anyone?  Last, there is no context that can rationalize away what Exxon’s Country Head Alistair Routledge felt thoroughly appropriate to address.