Dear Editor,

Well, it’s official: Guyana has signed the deal for the US$527 million loan from the U.S. EXIM Bank to fund the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project. And, naturally, I’m on tenterhooks waiting for the inevitable flood of impassioned voices calling for renegotiations. I mean, who could possibly resist the urge to demand better terms and lower interest rates from the same crowd that’s been crying “renegotiate” for months, if not years, over the Exxon contract?

After all, it’s not like this crowd has ever met a contract they didn’t want to overhaul, right? Why stop at the oil and gas sector when there’s a shiny new loan agreement to dissect? I’m sure those same champions of “fairness” will be on the front lines again, waving their arms furiously and arguing that this loan needs a closer look, even though it’s the same crowd that barely looked at the terms before calling for change with Exxon. It’s truly inspiring to see such consistency.

So yes, I’m absolutely thrilled to see how quickly the renegotiation demands come pouring in. It’s only a matter of time before we hear the familiar chorus of “we need better terms, we deserve more” — because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this ongoing saga, it’s that the thirst for perfection in international deals knows no bounds. It’s almost as if they believe the world exists solely to serve Guyana’s every financial whim.

Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

Sincerely,

Keith Bernard