Trinidad and Tobago’s Leader of the Opposition and Political Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Mrs Kamla Persad Bissessar will be the feature speaker at the 23rd Awards Presentation and Dinner hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA).
The event is set to take place on Thursday November 8, at the Pegasus Hotel, in Georgetown, Guyana.
The former Prime Minister of the twin island republic will speak on the topic “Managing Oil and Gas Revenues – experiences and lessons learned from Trinidad and Tobago and advice to the Guyana private sector in preparing for oil and gas.”
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar is quoted by UNC has saying that her presence in Guyana to speak at the event was timely and relevant, as Trinidad and Tobago seeks to deepen its ties with its South American neighbour.
“I am honoured and humbled to have been invited to speak at this Awards and Dinner function, and I look forward to sharing with members of the GMSA the important lessons to be learned from Trinidad and Tobago’s experience in oil and gas exploration and production,” the Opposition Leader is quoted as saying.
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar made headlines in September when she said the current government in Trinidad should pursue a partnership with neighbouring Guyana to refine its oil in order to avert the closure of the Petrotrin refinery.
“I understand Guyana has found another well and they are producing, can we not group in some way and find a way to work together as a Caricom (sic) where we can help them refine their oil?” she asked at the time.
This was met with mixed reaction in Guyana with some supporting the idea while others opined that Guyana’s newly found oil wealth was the only reason behind recent calls for the two countries to work together. At the time, former Guyanese Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud shot down the suggestion made by Mrs Persad-Bissessar, saying ‘Guyana is not here to bailout’ the twin-island republic.
