A VISIONARY FOR WHOM?

 THE 592 GUARDIAN. EDITORIAL     

 A Visionary for Whom? Ali’s New Cover and the Berbice Gift That Cost Guyana Nothing but Sovereignty

The 592 Guardian Opinion 

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been crowned “visionary” again. This time by a Dominican Republic energy magazine that placed him on its cover, calling Guyana

“One of the most influential investment and energy destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The compliment is smooth. The timing is convenient. The deal behind it demands scrutiny.

What earned President Ali this special recognition isn’t just the Stabroek Block’s offshore success, where ExxonMobil has found billions of barrels. It is something far more suspicious: the onshore Berbice Block, where three wells were drilled in 2005 and all came up dry, yet now serves as the centerpiece of a partnership that gives the Dominican Republic —10% of the stake without requiring a single dollar of investment

Let us congratulate President Ali, as the magazine does. For his elevation to cover status. For his warm personal relationship with Dominican President Abinader. For his “vision” in allowing a foreign state to ride on the backs of Guyanese taxpayers and feast at their table—all for bringing himself to the signing ceremony.

 The Deal That Makes “Visionary” Sound Like Theft

The terms are clear: the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidomsa) receives 10% of the Berbice Block without upfront capital, without a signing bonus, and without bearing exploration risk.  Guyana, meanwhile, assumes 100% of the technical risk, the financial cost, and the environmental liability.

Onshore exploration carries its own risks. No production is guaranteed

Three wells drilled on Berbice in 2005 were dry holes. Yet the Dominican Republic gets a free option on a potential resource while Guyanese taxpayers shoulder the cost of the gamble.

If this were a private business deal, it would be called predatory. When a government does it, we call it “regional cooperation.”

 Visionary for the DR, not for Guyana

The Dominican Republic is import-dependent for energy. It needs oil. It needs gas. It needs security. This deal serves those interests, not Guyana’s development agenda.

Meanwhile, Guyana receives:

– No upfront payment

– No guaranteed discovery

– No technology transfer

– No jobs for local workers

– No infrastructure built for Guyanese communities

What Guyana gives:

– A 10% slice of future production (if any)

– Majority stake (>51%) for the DR in secondary projects

– Sovereignty over a resource block that could be worth billions

– The political capital of a “visionary” partnership

The magazine calls this visionary. The question is: visionary for whom?

 The Taxpayer’s Dime, the Foreigner’s Feast

The irony is grotesque. Guyanese taxpayers are paying for schools that remain unfinished, roads that wash out, hospitals that lack equipment, and a public sector that cannot compete with oil-company salaries.

Yet the government is willing to give away 10% of a potential oil block to a foreign state that brought nothing but a pen to the table.

This is not a partnership. This is hostility to the national interest disguised as diplomacy.

The president enjoys warm access to the DR’s top brass. That is politically useful. But warm diplomacy is not the same as equal benefit. When a foreign magazine celebrates the relationship, it is celebrating access, not public welfare.

 A Stinging Truth

Let us be clear: President Ali is not a visionary for giving away Guyana’s resources. He is a negotiator who signed a deal that serves foreign interests more than domestic needs.

The magazine’s cover is not a tribute to Guyana’s rise. It is an advertisement for the Dominican Republic’s success in securing a free stake in Guyana’s future.

The real visionary would be the one who says: “No. We will not give away our resources for free. We will not let foreign states ride on our taxpayers’ backs. We will negotiate fair terms that serve Guyanese people first.”

That visionary is not President Ali.

 The Bottom Line

President Ali deserves credit for offshore success. But the Berbice deal is a different story. It is a gift that costs Guyana nothing but sovereignty, and it is a gift that costs the Dominican Republic nothing but a signature.

The magazine calls it visionary. We call it what it is: a transaction that serves foreign energy security while Guyanese taxpayers carry the risk and wait for the reward.

Congratulations, President Ali, on your new cover. Congratulations on your special invitation for the DR to ride on your taxpayers’ backs. And congratulations on proving that in the world of oil diplomacy, the most “visionary” deals are often the ones that give the most away for the least in return. 

How can We Guyanese get such a sweetheart deal for themselves ? 

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙘, 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨.