Dear Editor,
Last week the people of this country experienced a lot of drama. The main feature was the US request for the extradition of Azruddin and Nazir (Shell) Mohamed, allegedly for gold smuggling.
What was most notable was the eagerness and aggressiveness of the PPP/C to comply with the request. Even before the extradition request arrived, when it was only talked about, the government had the revenue authority place charges on the Mohameds for evasion of taxes.
In normal circumstances the government should be complemented for going behind the unpaid taxes. Leading the charge is no less a person than the Vice-President and leader of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo. No doubt, he is seeing this as an opportunity to portray himself as a champion in taking on the super-rich cheating Mohameds on behalf of the tax payers.
It is a good opportunity for him to use it to live down the embarrassment of the Su exposure which occurred a few years ago. Despite that he should be congratulated for the sheer, almost messianic energy by which he is pursuing the accused. Justice must be done.
However, we should take that apparent ‘just cause’ with a lot of salt. If it was a genuine desire on his part we would have been able to see it in his relation with Exxon Mobil which has by hook or crook depriving Guyanese of Billions of US dollars.
True there are some differences in the case. The Mohameds are accused of breaking laws. Exxon Mobile is fully legal, but Exxon is ripping off this nation much more than the Mohameds ever did or can ever do, but our dear Vice-President is very cozy with them. He has not only refused to re-negotiate the contract which give us pittance from our oil resources but he has become one of their greatest supporters aggressively attacking anyone who dare to suggest that we should get more from our natural resources.
He has displayed cowardice, sheer fear of Exxon Mobil Recall both Vice-President Jagdeo and President Ali had vowed to re-negotiate the contract before the 2020 elections. He obviously don’t see his promise as being upholding the sanctity of contracts.
The Kaieteur News and Vincent Adams are good examples of his vexatious responses whenever they raised the subject, Jagdeo goes into a tisick. Now let’s come back to the tax issue. The Mohameds may go to jail for a long time for evading taxes and breaking laws in Guyana and the USA.
Exxon Mobile on the other hand is not only the main beneficiary of the extraction of our oil, taking more than eighty five percent, 85% but in addition the government of Guyana has to pay their taxes from the less than 15% it receives from Exxon. It provides other tax concessions to the giant corporation in repayments of other expenses. It recently came to light that despite not receiving any money in taxes from Exxon, the government has to give them a receipt that the taxes are paid. (This is part of the disgraceful contract). Exxon uses that receipt not to pay taxes in the United States because that would be double taxation. Mr. Vice-President don’t you think that is fraud? Wouldn’t you agree that that should be changed and allow us to collect the defrauded taxes, which would be much, much more than what the Mohameds have pocketed?
There is another distinction too that should be noted which shows that what Exxon is doing to our country and people is far worse for our Guyana than the alleged crimes committed by the Mohameds. The money which the alleged gold smuggling is depriving the treasury of is not totally lost to Guyana. The Mohameds have been investing in a multitude of businesses. They create a considerable amount of employment and generate wealth for the country.
What Exxon takes out is completely lost to our country. They have not invested in anything to add value here. No refining is done here, therefore we are deprived of the benefits of the many by-products which comes with processing crude oil to many types of products. Mr. Vice-President you should turn your anger which is on show at your press conferences on Exxon Mobile as well. Or is it a case of monkey knowing what limb to jump on. Or just plain and simple cowardice.