“Country First, Not Clause First: Ali’s ‘Sanctity of Contract’ Excuse Falls Flat Next to Real Leaders”

BY: Hem Kumar 

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣

The real test of leadership is not how smoothly you manage powerful interests, but how visibly you wrestle them for the people. When President Irfaan Ali shrinks from any serious renegotiation of the Exxon contract and hides behind “sanctity of contract” and “unimaginable legal hurdles,” he is not just defending legal technicalities—he is surrendering Guyana’s bargaining power while the fields pour billions offshore.

Contrast that with leaders who act as if the nation’s interests are non‑negotiable. John F. Kennedy’s famous line—“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”—was not just a slogan; it framed a president prepared to confront the Pentagon, the CIA, and Wall Street when he believed they were putting their interests ahead of the people. Kennedy’s Cuba missile crisis stand was not a “safe” move; it was a risk taken in the name of national sovereignty and security.

Then look at Delcy Rodríguez sitting in The Hague, facing down an international tribunal over Venezuela’s Essequibo claims. Whatever the outcome, that image—the image of a national leader in the dock, tethered to her people’s cause—sends a single, unmistakable message: “I am here because of you, not because of investors”. The symbolism alone is a weapon: it tells Venezuelans she is willing to bear the legal and political cost of defending territory they see as theirs.

Compare that to Volodymyr Zelenskyy appearing in battle‑fatigues, refusing to flee Kyiv and insisting he will be last to leave the capital under attack. Zelenskyy’s clothes are not theatrics; they are a visual declaration that the president shares the risk with his people, not the comfort of the boardroom or the embassy.

Ali, in contrast, appears in Houston positioning himself not as a tribune of Guyanese citizens, but as Exxon and Chevron’s diplomatic facilitator. He talks about “managing by results” while preserving a contract that critics say handcuffs the state,cedes control of fiscal terms, and lets oil companies recover up to 75% of investments before Guyana gets a sliver of the remaining 25%. He is not going to The Hague for his people; he is going to OTC to tell the world that Exxon’s comfort comes first.

Any government can drift along with a poor deal. What distinguishes a real leader from a caretaker is whether they are willing to pick the fight, to test the limits of the contract, to renegotiate, to litigate, or to at least publicly expose the inequity of the terms. Ali’s refusal to seriously challenge Exxon—even while acknowledging that future contracts will have better terms—tells Guyanese that for him, “country first” stops at the edge of the PSA.

So let the record be clear: Kennedy rode the risk, Rodríguez stands in the dock, Zelenskyy stands in the war zone. Ali? He stands in the shadow of Exxon, protecting their sanctuary while quietly asking Guyanese to accept a second‑class deal. That is not leadership; that is landlord politics with a presidential smile.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣-𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮,𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.— ✦—