Stabroek News was a vital intellectual incubator

March 8, 2026·2 min read

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Mar 8, 2026

Tarron Khemraj

Mar 13, 2026Judiciary delays in Precision Woodworking caseRonald Bulkan

Dear Editor,

As Stabroek News prepares to print its final pages, I am struck by the immense void this leaves in the Caribbean’s intellectual landscape. Since its founding in November 1986, this institution has spent 39 years promoting independent thought and critical thinking, bridging the gap between Guyana’s transition periods and its modern emergence and economic transformation.

I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to the editorial team, and specifically to Mr. Anand Persaud, for his invitation in 2009 to write the mid-week Development Watch columns and later the Sunday Business column. It has been a great honour and privilege, although I could not always stick with a regular schedule owing to the demands of my full-time job.

For me, the newspaper was more than a platform for public discourse; it was a vital intellectual incubator. The columns helped me engage in Guyana’s policy debates and subsequently refine my thoughts for peer-reviewed academic articles. However, it is not a strategy I would encourage young scholars to pursue given the nature of academic politics and the need to publish on popular academic themes and vibes. I would also like to sincerely thank the current editorial staff and editors of an older generation for publishing my letters, some of which were clearly not well thought out and some which I still cherish because of their continual relevance to Guyana’s economic development, political economy and monetary arrangements.

I am grateful to have been able to engage via the columns on the nature of the oil contract as well as the implications of the 75% cost recovery cap. Subsequent-ly, the government understood the time value problem and relaxed the cost recovery cap to 65% for subsequent sale of oil blocks. I disagree with activists whose main objective is to increase the marginal cost of ExxonMobil without regard to the international political implications and the immense difficulties small countries like Guyana face in an era of a brutish, ignorant and crude man at the international level. I still hold that this is the last chance Guyana will have to receive large and unprecedented foreign exchange inflows, which must be devoted towards the preservation of the coastal ecology and hinterland development where possible (something President Ali has already commenced, demonstrating his astute understanding of the key constraint the country faces).

I am deeply relieved to learn that Stabroek News will preserve its online archives. Those archives are far more than a repository of past reporting; they are living intellectual capital, even after the newspaper would have printed its last page. Students will rely on them to understand the evolution of national debates; academics will draw on them to contextualize research; policymakers will consult them to trace institutional decisions; and activists will use them to ground their advocacy in historical analyses.

Thank you for nearly 40 years of service to critical thinking and open debate, and for allowing me to be a part of the discussions.

Yours faithfully,
Professor Tarron Khemraj

Source

Stabroek News was a vital intellectual incubator in Stabroek News, March 8, 2026

Other references

SN would be an invaluable source of historical information for future generations of Guyanese

Stabroek News · November 1986

announcement that Stabroek News will preserve its online archives

Stabroek News

Opinion

www.stabroeknews.com

Opinion - Stabroek News Stabroek News ## Log into your account Log in for full access to stabroeknews.com. You can also post comments, and manage your email subscription. Keep me logged in. (Uncheck if you are using a shared device). Lost your password? Login **Only one active session is allowed per subscriber.** You don't have an account?**Sign Up** Terms of Service|Privacy Policy # Opinion Letters to the Editor ## [In a democratically credentialed parliament the Speaker of the House must respect the 109,000 votes cast for the ... Dear Editor, At the heart of Guyana’s present parliamentary impasse lies a simple, non-negotiable democratic principle: one person, ... Over the period of the PPP/C government, from 1992 to 2015 and 2020 to now, education has made a great leap forward. ... Christmas is upon us once again. It is the time of year when Christians reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ who they ... Cameron & Shepherd, Attorneys-at-Law, extends its warmest congratulations to Mr. Rafiq Khan SC, who was sworn in as ... ## [Banking reform will require sustained investments in human capital, policy and institutional ... President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s recent announcement to modernise the Bank of Guyana signals a positive and well‑timed ... Letters to the Editor ## Artificial cash grant Dear Editor, Another broken promise by the PPP; this time to the entire working class —especially the children of the country. Politikles ## Politikles Editorial ## Treatise on a Merry Christmas Over the past week, social media and the regular press as well positively thrummed with seasonal performances, none of ... Cartoons ## Cartoon Letters to the Editor ## Our pivotal role in Massy’s earnings must lead to upskilling of Guyanese Dear Editor, On December 18, 2025, Massy Group released its Management Discussion and Analysis of its Fiscal 2025 operations, which ... ## Gov’t’s measures have contributed to lifting a considerable number of citizens out of poverty ... Recent media coverage has focused on the $100,000 cash grant, which critics argue should have been distributed before ... ## Six years into oil production, many see little improvement in their quality of life Dear Editor, Six years ago this month, when Guyana began producing oil, the nation looked to the future with hope and anticipation. ... President Irfaan Ali and the Guyana Police Force have recently highlighted a 61.7 per cent crime-clearance rate for 2025 and a reported reduction in serious crime. Letters to the Editor ## The artificial intelligence paradox we must confront Dear Editor, The irony could not be starker. Across leading universities, the very programmes best equipped to examine the social, ethical, and political consequences of artificial intelligence are being defunded, even as those same institutions actively promote the widespread use of AI tools in classrooms, administration, and research. * 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 * … * 3,097 * Older Today's Paper Daily Paper The ePaper edition, on the Web & in stores for Android, iPhone & iPad. Try Now *Included free with your web subscription.Learn more.*

ExxonMobil Guyana profits reach US$4.73bn, assets up

www.caribbean-council.org

ExxonMobil Guyana profits reach US$4.73bn, assets up 13 June 2025 ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) has reported substantial profits of US$4.73bn for 2024, marking a significant 62% ... The jump is primarily driven by increased oil production from the Payara project, which commenced operations in ... John Colling, EMGL’s Vice President and Business Services Manager, attributed this sharp increase to the Prosperity ... “In 2024, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited generated US$8bn in revenue, which is up about 60% from the prior year, and that’s ... Despite these robust profits, Colling stressed that ExxonMobil remains financially behind on its investments. He ... processes outlined in the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). “ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners have invested US$40bn to date and have only recovered US$33bn. So, there is a cost recovery ongoing,” he clarified. Colling projected, however, that Guyana’s revenue would substantially increase once these costs have been fully recovered. “From splitting between EMGL and its partners and the Government of Guyana, we expect by the end of the decade, that the Government of Guyana will be receiving US$10bn per year in profit oil and royalty,” Colling estimated. Under the current (PSA) from 2016, ExxonMobil can recover its investment, capped at 75% of revenue from oil lifts. However, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and others suggest Guyana’s revenue share will significantly increase as soon as these amortisation costs are fully recovered. Currently, Guyana receives approximately 14.5% of profits, with this expected to rise substantially by the decade’s end, potentially reaching US$10bn annually in profit oil and royalties. The ExxonMobil-led consortium, including partners Hess and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), earned combined profits of US$10.4bn in 2024, up 64% from the previous year. Hess alone reported profits of US$3.1bn, and CNOOC recorded US$2.5bn in profits, both experiencing a 67% boost compared to 2023. ExxonMobil and its partners have seen their combined asset base rise substantially, increasing by 23% to reach US$34.3bn in 2024, up from US$27.9bn in 2023. Colling highlighted the significance of this growth, stating that the ... Production from the Stabroek Block surged significantly, increasing from 391,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2023 to 616,000 b/d in 2024. Further production increases are anticipated as additional projects, including Yellowtail, become operational later this year, potentially pushing daily production beyond 900,000 barrels by the end of 2025. Reflecting this continued expansion, the Government of Guyana has introduced a revised model PSA for future contracts, aiming to enhance national revenues. Notable amendments include reducing the cost recovery ceiling from 75% to 65%, increasing royalty payments from 2% to 10%, and instituting a 10% corporate tax. Additional provisions feature signing bonuses as high as US$20mn for deep-water block contracts. Looking ahead, ExxonMobil intends to triple its oil output in Guyana within the next five years, committing to significant additional investments throughout the decade. These initiatives reflect both the company’s and the government’s intentions to responsibly manage this critical economic resource, ensuring sustainable financial benefits for the nation. As Guyana anticipates increasing oil revenues, effective governance and strategic resource management will be crucial. With careful stewardship,

Stabroek News, Author at Stabroek News

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respects to Working People’s Alliance (WPA) co-founder and former parliamentarian Dr Rupert Rabindranath Roopnaraine, who was laid to rest following a funeral service marked by tributes to his role in shaping Guyana’s political landscape. Questions have been raised over whether the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) launched investigations when minors Aleena Preetam, 14, from Essequibo (now deceased), and Tiana Chapman, 15, from East Bank Berbice, presented themselves ... Concern has been expressed over the silence from the Guyana Police Force in relation to an incident over two weeks ago ... Rose Hall Town businessman Gurudat Sudhai has expressed deep fear for his life and that of his family, after gun-toting ... (ESPNcricinfo)- Sanju Samson was not India’s first-choice opener in the lead-up to the tournament. India changed that opening combination at the last moment, but Samson still wasn’t their first-choice opener for the first five matches of ... CONCACAF U-20 Qualifiers The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has confirmed that Guyana’s part in a team-wide brawl ... Almost one month after the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) fired six employees, including a manager, over an investigation into the transfer of 11 motor vehicles owned by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, no one has ... The Region Three Chamber of Commerce and Industry (R3CCI) has publicly thanked the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for its advice to the court in the case involving local businessman Stanley Basdeo. Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) and Mahaicony Technical Institute (MTI) secured well-earned victories yesterday to ... Ground, Thomas Lands. More than seven months on, several members of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party whose accounts at commercial banks were arbitrarily closed purportedly owing to their association with the party’s leader who has been sanctioned by ... Minister of Human Services and Social Security Vindhya Persaud visited 101-year-old Ina Ellis at her East Ruimveldt ... The Ministry of Natural Resources has released the 2025 geophysical datasets aimed at modernizing and democratizing access to mining data. The announcement, made via a state-ment yesterday, introduces the Guyana Mineral Advancement & Prospecting Strategy (GMAPS). The fourth edition of the Information Communications Technology (ICT) Roadshow, organised by the Office of the Prime ... Guyana’s labour market recorded “marked im-provements” in participa-tion and employment indi-cators in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the Guyana Labour Force Survey report published in the February 18 edition of the Stabroek News. JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV/DUBAI (Reuters) – Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday and Iran responded with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pitched the Middle East and the global economy into deepening uncertainty. Part 170 Interviews and photos by Subhana Shiwmangal Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in Edderton, West Coast Berbice on Wednesday about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. Dear Editor, A systemic failure is unfolding within Guyana’s public procurement system, particularly as it pertains to the Ministry of Public Works. Highlighting what he described as “serious compliance challenges” in the mining industry, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) ... after an air strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reemerged last year as one of the most powerful ... – Appeal court awards $100,000 in damages to victim (Trinidadd Express) The Court of Appeal has ruled that police failed to protect a victim of child pornography, awarding the victim $100,000 in damages. Today's Paper The ePaper edition, on the Web & in stores for Android, iPhone & iPad. Try Now Included free with your web subscription. Learn more. For more than 15 years, the number of persons who died in

Stabroek News was a vital intellectual incubator — Tarron Khemraj — Opinion