Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan has warned that Suriname’s rapidly expanding oil industry, coupled with what he described as increasingly assertive actions over long-disputed border issues, should serve as a wake-up call for Guyana, arguing that the country cannot rely primarily on foreign allies to safeguard its territorial integrity and national interests.

Jordan, who served as Finance Minister under the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration from 2015 to 2020, was the architect of Guyana’s original Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act, legislation designed to establish strict parliamentary and institutional oversight over the receipt, management and expenditure of the country’s oil revenues.

However, following its return to office in 2020, the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) repealed and replaced the legislation, dismantling several key oversight mechanisms—including the Public Accountability and Oversight Committee—and granting the executive greater discretion over withdrawals from the Fund.