Lall Puts Pres. Ali’s Exxon Position Under the Microscope

President Irfaan Ali’s position on Guyana’s ExxonMobil contract presents a striking contradiction: he acknowledges that the 2016 deal is flawed, yet maintains that it should be left untouched. That tension is the central issue running through oil and governance commentator GHK Lall’s three-part examination of the agreement.

Across the three commentaries, Lall approaches the issue from three connected angles. First, he questions why a government that accepts the contract is deficient would not seek ways to improve it. Second, he examines Ali’s own descriptions of the agreement, including his characterization of it as “lopsided” and his acknowledgement that Exxon and its partners “had the better hand of the deal.” Third, he shifts the perspective to ExxonMobil, arguing that a company facing no credible prospect of renegotiation has little incentive to surrender additional economic benefits.

Part I: If the contract is bad, why leave it untouched?