Dear Editor,
The recent Kaieteur News article headlined “Aubrey Norton finally agrees on ring-fencing upcoming projects” and its editorial attacking PNCR Leader and APNU Chairman, Mr. Aubrey C. Norton on ring-fencing is misleading and contradicts Kaieteur News own article of February 13, 2023 headlined “Conditions are ripe for higher royalty, ring-fencing provision in Exxon contract – Norton.”
In that 2023 article, it proved clearly that Norton supports ring-fencing. The recent writings of Kaieteur News are clearly false, malicious and compromises Kaieteur News credibility at a time when it is supposed to be the only independent daily and should be worried that it made a false claim and a distorted reading of the public record.
The editorial wants the public to believe that it is only after the 2025 elections that Mr. Norton found his voice on ring-fencing. This view is proven false by Kaieteur News’ own reporting of February 13, 2023, which recorded Mr. Norton’s support for higher royalty and the inclusion of a ring-fencing provision in the ExxonMobil contract
In that 2023 report, Mr. Norton stated clearly that any measure necessary to ensure the people of Guyana enjoy added benefits from their oil wealth would receive APNU’s support.
One is forced to wonder what motivated Kaieteur News, since this editorial is not objective journalism. Is Kaieteur News pursuing some hidden political agenda?
APNU’s 2025 manifesto and the APNU policy paper on the oil and gas sector, all public documents also contradict that claim.
APNU, in its manifesto, set out plans to maximise revenues from Guyana’s oil resources, review the 2016 PSA to secure more benefits for Guyana, invite ExxonMobil to review the PSA, establish a Petroleum Commission, and engage the Stabroek Block Partners under Article 32.1 of the PSA to maximise benefits for the Guyanese people. Those commitments were in line with APNU’s earlier position in support of ring-fencing and a fairer deal for Guyanese in the petroleum extraction contracts.
The Kaieteur News editorial that suggests that the APNU and Mr. Norton only recently discovered the need for a better oil deal is false, malicious, ridiculous, and unprofessional and must be withdrawn with an apology that is advertised in Kaieteur News as prominent as the false claim.
It is curious that Kaieteur News would dedicate an entire editorial to attacking the views of a man it claims no longer has relevance, while saying little or nothing about the silence and inaction of those who hold executive power.
If Mr. Norton is so irrelevant, why devote an entire editorial to him? That is not analysis. That is targeting.
APNU’s position has been clear. The Guyanese people must receive a fairer share from their oil resources. Ring-fencing is one measure necessary to address a particular weakness in the contract since it would disaggregate the projects. Without this disaggregation, costs from one project can be used to delay the full benefits from another, thereby postponing the revenues that should be available to improve the lives of Guyanese citizens.
This is not a sleight-of-hand accounting issue. It has major consequences for Guyana’s development. It affects how much money is available for better wages, improved healthcare, high-tech schools, safer communities, modern infrastructure, and real relief for struggling families that need direct cash transfers to cope with the rising cost-of-living.
APNU will not be distracted by editorials such as Kaieteur News’ or by other machinations of nefarious actors, known and unknown. Attempts to personalise national issues or rewrite the public record will be rejected, and debunked, while the APNU stays focused on fighting for the people of Guyana.
APNU respects the right of Kaieteur News, or any media house for that matter, to criticise APNU, Mr. Norton, or any political actor. However, criticism must be fair and factual. Kaieteur News cannot simply ignore its own public record when that record is inconvenient. It cannot pretend that a position publicly stated in 2023 was only discovered in 2026. Kaieteur News cannot rewrite 2023 in order to score a point in 2026. And it cannot attempt to hold the Opposition more accountable than the Government for decisions only the Government has the power to make.
The core issue remains: Guyana’s oil wealth must benefit the people of Guyana, not a narrow circle of local elites; nor must it be siphoned off by multinationals because of the unwillingness of the PPP government to address the weaknesses in the existing contract.
While we welcome ExxonMobil investment in Guyana, APNU reiterates its firm commitment to ring-fencing ExxonMobil’s oil projects, securing a fairer return for the people of Guyana, and ensuring that the nation’s petroleum resources are managed for the benefit of Guyanese today and those who will come after us.