Corruption With Oil Revenues Exposes Guyana's Political Class

By Misión Verdad – Apr 5, 2024

The government of Guyana has been quick to try to disqualify Venezuela for the sovereign decisions that its government has recently taken with respect to the Essequibo territory. In particular, Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has condemned the government of President Nicolás Maduro for implementing the will of the people expressed in the results of the consultative referendum of December 3, 2023.

Ignoring the Geneva Agreement of 1966, the only valid legal instrument to resolve the territorial dispute, Jagdeo has affirmed that his government “will not lower its guard” in its occupation of the Essequibo and threatened that its “partners” are aware of these actions. He was probably referring to ExxonMobil, the real interested party in maintaining this territory under Guyana’s control, as the Guyanese political class seemingly does not object to the misappropriation of the money coming from the oil sector.

This opportunity to appear before Guyanese voters as a defender of their country’s sovereignty comes at a rather opportune moment to quell the media hype over allegations of corruption in the Guyanese government.

Pressure to investigate these allegations against Jagdeo has intensified after the acting commissioner of the Guyanese police, Clifton Hicken, received a formal complaint from the Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD). This Guyanese organization called for a transparent and thorough investigation into allegations raised in a Vice News report implicating Jagdeo in accepting bribes for government contracts.

The letter was also sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali Hack SC, requesting appropriate legal action if the allegations are confirmed.

Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed concern about the deficiencies in transparency and lack of action to investigate allegations of corruption in Guyana, including the allegations against Jagdeo.

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The government of Guyana was questioned over the dismantling of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) and the lack of effective measures to address corruption in the country. US nominee to the Human Rights Committee, Laurence Helfer, asked Guyana’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira about actions taken to investigate allegations of corruption and to ensure the prosecution of those responsible.

Just as it is evident that the government of Guyana is violating Venezuela’s territorial and maritime sovereignty over the Essequibo territory in order to hand over energy resources to foreign companies, it is also evident that the money that the Guyanese government receives from oil revenues is diverted to benefit politicians and allies instead of contributing to national development. The lack of basic infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, quality education, public healthcare, sanitation, and citizen security is a clear reflection of this situation.

But corruption does not stop there. There have also been reports of racial discrimination in the distribution of subsidies and social welfare, which have disproportionately favored government supporters to the detriment of the indigenous people of the Essequibo and Afro-Guyanese people. Extrajudicial executions and human rights violations also affect these communities in particular.

This problem is not unique to the currently ruling People’s Progressive Party, as the previous APNU + AFC Coalition government—a coalition of A Partnership for National Unity and A Partnership for Change—also had its share of corrupt practices.

The political class of Guyana, motivated by oil wealth, has fallen into an unbridled competition for personal enrichment, while trying to cover up its actions by pretending to be defenders of national sovereignty when confronting Venezuela over the Essequibo dispute. The Guyanese people must notice how this façade is trying to divert attention from the crimes being committed against them.

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/AF