
Guyana could face expulsion from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) if the country fails to meet the new deadline for the submission of its 4th GYEITI Report, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan warned on Friday.
During an AFC press conference, the party leader also rubbished the President’s explanation for the country’s failure to meet the initial deadline resulting in its suspension.
Ramjattan said it is important for the National Coordinator of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) Secretariat, Dr Prem Misir to have the report ready no later than May, 2023.
“Indeed, he now has four months after the date of the suspension to still present the 2020 Report. Not doing so, will see Guyana being delisted from the international body. This of course, would bring stinging rebukes to the Ali-led Administration and huge embarrassment to Guyana,” the AFC Leader said.
Earlier this month, Guyana was suspended from EITI after it failed to submit its 2020 Report before the end of 2022.
The Board of EITI has ruled against granting the country an extension, however, should it fail to make a submission by May, it could be delisted.
When completed, the report is expected to provide some insight into the country’s Oil and Gas, Mining, Forestry, and Fishing Sectors.

“This arrangement with Guyana and EITI is for complete transparency of all the gold contracts that were given, to whether it is medium, small or large mining companies, and also transparency as to who are the human beings behind those companies, what you call the beneficial owners; how much money they are paying for these concessions, how much royalty are they paying, how much taxes are they paying. And it goes right across for forestry, for fishing, for oil and gas, and for the whole spectrum,” Mr Ramjattan explained.
In responding to Guyana’s suspension from the international transparency body, President Ali said it was unacceptable that the country was unable to meet the deadline. He cited the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding and other issues as the reasons behind the failure to file the report.
But Ramjattan rubbished the explanation.
“Of course, the flippant and flimsy COVID and floods excuse for not completing the 2020 Report by the 31st of December, 2022 is a deception that must be frowned upon. It is just a continuation of the PPP’s journey to not only divide but additionally to divert and rule,” Mr Ramjattan said.
The President also laid blame at the feet of Guyana’s EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG).
According to Ali, the MSG took four months before it approved the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the independent administrator, who is critical to the process of compiling the report.

But the AFC Leader said the President’s attack on the two MSG Members – Mike McCormack and Vanda Radzik – for abstaining from the voting process on the TOR, is what is unacceptable.
“This is disgraceful and dangerous. Attacking two of the most prominent and active civil society members, is plain suicide. EITI standard makes it clear that each and every member of the Multi-Stakeholder Group, must operate and express their opinions freely without fear, coercion or reprisal,” he said.
It was explained that the two MSG members had expressed concern that the TOR did not require 2020 GYEITI Report to include a status report on the implementation of the recommendations, which were detailed in the 2019 Report.
Mr Ramjattan, who had predicted that the country would have missed the December 31, 2022 deadline, maintains that the Government should rehire Dr Rudy Jadoopat to head the Guyana EITI Secretariat.
Jadoopat was instrumental in Guyana completing and successfully submitting all of its previous reports.
He was appointed by the APNU+AFC governmen. His contract was not renewed, when it ended under the current government.
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