Imagine eef T&T wasn’t de onlyest country in de Caribbean dat had ah vibrant oil industry. Imagine dem countries wid dey own Oilfield Trade Workers Union, dey own Ancil Roget, dey own Petrotrin, even dey own oil spills. All because dey had dis bubblin black gold like Triniland.

Eef yuh never imagine dat, now is ah good time tuh start. Udder countries in de region lookin fuh dey own black gold: Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, an Guyana, even de Bahamas. Udders too ah sure.

What are de chances any ah dem go find anyting in exportable amounts an what would dat mean fuh Triniland?

One ah de first tings ah find out after ah bounce mih head an decide dat ah go tork about dis is dat Triniland in de petroleum business years now. Far more years dan I did tink. Fuh who eh know, de first oil well geh drill in 1857. Compare dat tuh 1956 in Nigeria, 1938 fuh Saudi Arabia an Venezuela 1917. In 1962, T&T start ah new ministry—Petroleum an Mines. De onlyest point out ah all ah dat is dis: Triniland not no Johnny-come-lately tuh dis whole business about extractin oil an gas from de grong. Smilin foreigners sayin dey could do it fuh ah small fee doh fool we no more. Ah hope. Still, de country eh no imps, it have expertise.

So why would ah slew ah countries in de region hang dey hats orn findin oil orf dey shores? Follow fashion? Ah mean eef yuh do ah search ornline fuh something like, “de next big oil discovery”, yuh go see enough answers tuh suggest it eh have no one answer. One answer it doh have fuh sure is any ah de name ah dem five or so countries who ah call someplace near de top ah dis. Not in no search results doh matter tuh none ah dem cause all each want is enough oil fuh it tuh be dey savior. Over recent time, each one investin some serious resources in deals wid exploration companies tuh look fuh dat black gold. Unknown is who givin away dey country tuh smart men. All I hope for is dat nobody urge tuh find dey own oil eh have nuttin tuh do wid penis envy when de watch Triniland.

From what ah read de push tuh find oil in its waters start in de 1950’s fuh Jamaica. It sound like dey have everyting in place an just waitin fuh de word dat de explorers find oil an it go start flowin in de tanks. It look like various surveys over de years have plenty ah dem convinced ah dat.

Some fella name Richardson leadin de current charge. He mandate is not tuh see if it have oil, but tuh find it. While all dey efforts so far eh find shit, dey pretty sure it dong dey someplace. One speculation is dat if dis one place start producin, Jamaica go pump some $8B US worth ah oil. De same Richardson fella say findin oil go be ah game changer fuh de country. People go see it in ah new light; it would be able tuh pay it bills. Tuh show how serious dey is, in November larse year 2014, Jamaica sign ah agreement fuh dis international company tuh go lookin fuh dat oil dat only eludin de searchers since before independence.

Barbados ah find out doin ah lil drillin here an dere buh all on land. From dem wells it does produce ah tenth ah de 10,000 barrels ah crude oil it need tuh drink every day. I eh get de impression dat Bajans as confident as Jamaicans dat it have oil in de sea waitin fuh dem.

I cyar fuhget an have tuh now wonder about de time Barbados try an extend it 12-mile territorial waters tuh just orf de coast ah Tobago. It den tell Bajan fishermen,

go ahead, fish dey all allyuh want.

Dat happen een 2004. Was it ah sneaky way tuh get closer tuh waters dat had oil potential at de bottom? Manning wasn’t havin none ah dat dotishness an put de might ah T&T on alert tuh blast Bajan fishin boats out T&T waters. Dis week, Barbados sign ah agreement wid ah exploration company tuh go look fuh oil. In Bajan waters ah hope.

Den it have Guyana. I eh tink dey do too much analysis tuh decide eef tuh look fuh oil. I tink dey pull out ah map, see where Trinidad an Tobago was, see where dey is an see where Venezuela is. Den dey decide it have tuh have oil someplace arong Guyana. Not arong as in ah circle since dey is part of ah continent, but arong as in close, real close. Venezuela eh havin none ah dat doh. Dey done tell Guyana which part de lookin fuh oil belong tuh Venezuela. Tings eh all dat hot fuh Venezuelans so let Guyana find oil an we go see what go happen. Is ah ole trick fuh unitin ah country when tings bad at home.

How ironic eef Cuba find oil wid de embargo gettin lifted an ting. It would have tuh be on land doh since de island just put de brakes orn orfshore drillin.

Now Cuba changin direction, de Bahamas like it movin tuh fill de void even doh me eh sure what void it have tuh fill. Just because dey lookin fuh oil since de 1940’s an keep findin it buh not in enough quantities tuh sell? All dat doin is raisin de question as tuh why any ah dem lookin fuh oil now.

Ah read ah article dat ask eef it eh better tuh buy somebody else cheap oil dan go lookin fuh yuh own.

De Caribbean countries who puttin orn dey goggles an fins tuh go look, was part ah Petro Caribe. Dey was buyin Venezuelan oil at market rates, puttin dong lil bit ah money an payin orf de rest at low low interest rates stretched over years an years. When de Venezuela economy start wobblin, Petro Caribe collapse.

Is true yuh cyar ups one day an decide yuh goin an explore fuh oil. Buh all de countries ah mention have had some kind ah framework fuh dat in place before Petro Caribe. Dat still eh answer why now.

Caribbean countries on de oil hunt better be lookin beyond any false idea dat dey financial troubles go be history. It go take years tuh see any money from findin oil; longer given tuhday’s changin energy dynamics. Eef ah country not careful it could end up wid cents on de dollar as profit. Eef societal corruption endemic, oil go cause problems nobody ever tort about. Any light udder countries looking at dem een might show dey pimples an blackheads.

From ah Trini perspective, I hope all ah dem find oil. I want ah intense pride tuh overwhelm dey nationals at home an abroad. I want de ones abroad who is crooks tuh ups an go back home tuh help build dey new oil-rich country. Make deyself rich being crooked dey.

De country dey leave behind go manage somehow; it have oil.