Attorney General –Local Content Bill does not violate CARICOM treaty

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, S.C., said that there is no
issue of the Local Content Bill 2021 violating the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Nandlall made the comment in the National Assembly on Wednesday after Opposition Member
of Parliament (M.P.), David Patterson said that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) wrote to
the Opposition, flagging the Bill as being in contravention with the Revised Treaty of
Chaguaramas. The Treaty is the central document establishing the framework for the integration
of the Region.
It noted that Patterson alleged that the privileges given to locals in the Bill would contravene
Article 7 of the Revised Treaty which prohibits discrimination the grounds of nationality.
However, the minister Nandlall said that there is no issue. He pointed out that Trinidad and
Tobago has had local content provisions for 40 years, without issue.
Further, Suriname too, Minister Nandlall said, has local content legislation, and both of these
countries are members of CARICOM. The Attorney General in an effort to reinforce this point,
added that Norway, hailed as one of the better managers of their oil and gas sector, has local
content laws which have been managed while Norway is associated with the European Union
through the European Economic Area. “We have addressed our minds to this, and when the
issue arises, we will deal with it,” Nandlall said.
Minister Nandlall stressed that this piece of legislation is meant to be part of a network which
will ensure every Guyanese benefits from the multi-billion-dollar oil and gas sector. He aadded
that the Bill is being read for the second time in Parliament and will be addressed by a long line-
up of government and opposition speakers.