…sugar?
The PPP Government’s under fire for not reopening the 4 sugar estates unilaterally closed by Granger and the PNC AFTER his personally-appointed COI recommended that the estates be rehabilitated in a 3-year plan and then privatised. The WPA’s big economic kahuna, Clive Thomas himself – as GuySuCo’s Chairman and a member of the COI – supported that decision. Now, your Eyewitness thought that was a plan – but then Granger had vowed to “fulfill the legacy of Burnham”. And where sugar was concerned, he saw that as a sanctuary for the PPP’s base – like UG was for the PNC elites – and was to be always kept barefoot and supplicant!!
Remember the vindictiveness of denying sugar workers for decades by imposing a levy which ensured there was no profit to share?? Anyhow, after shuttering the 4 estates, the PNC had their man London form a Special Utility Vehicle (SPU), borrow $30 billion to rehabilitate the closed estates, and sell them off. Up to this day, no one can say what happened to that $30 billion – even though we’ve been paying $1.4 billion in interest for the last 4 years and we gotta pay off the $30 billion principal this year!! The proverbial “doody” will be hitting the fan!!
Anyhow, the PPP did say they’d be reopening up those estates, didn’t they?!! But it’s clear they never realised the damage that’d been done to the fixed assets – in factory and field!! Imagine there were NO tractors surviving in any of the estates!! Or punts!! Or gantries etc. What happened? Grand theft, that’s what!
Because, while none of these were rehabilitated, Watooka House in Linden and the Senior Staff Clubs and other recreational handouts were brought up to Sandals standards at the cost of billions!! All play and no work were the motto of the new GuySuCo!!
So, when the PPP dug into the estates’ figures, all they could see was an increasing bleeding bottom line. For example, no one has explained why Uitvlugt Estate was retained and Wales closed.
Wales was universally seen as a more viable entity – especially with a more functional factory and more diversified private farmers. Well, no plan should be carved in stone – unless it’s coming from a fella behind a burning bush!! Adjustment is the name of the game to new or newly discovered contingencies!!
The PPP now understand the enormity of bringing back the shuttered estates. They’ve announced an Oil and Gas Development Plan for Wales that’ll absorb workers not already employed in nearby Georgetown and environs. In your Eyewitness’s estimate, there’s no logic in returning Enmore to subsistence agriculture, which sugar represents. There will be an alternative, higher-paying employment there. Rose Hall can do it.
Skeldon was never on the cards.
…losers
Your Eyewitness is still trying to wrap his head around the Opposition’s game plan. He assumes there’s a plan! But as to what it is, there’s so much opacity in figuring out who exactly is the “opposition”, you should understand your Eyewitness’s fogginess! There’s first of all Aubrey Norton and the band of neophytes who were elected from his slate at last Dec’s PNC elections.
But right there’s the nub of the problem, isn’t it? The said slate didn’t include most of the MPs sent to Parliament after Aug 2 by Granger – after he threw in the towel and pleaded, “No Mas! No Mas”!! Chief among them being Harmon, who’s been designated as Opposition Leader by the selfsame Sanctimonious Gangster. And this also had a plan. At a minimum, Norton’s plan should’ve draft in some of those incumbents, no? Divide and conquer!
So, he’s being whiplashed by the fringe radicals spouting 70s rhetoric and being played hold me-loose me by the PNC MPs.
Gotta have a plan!!
…Chinese medicine
Some Guyanese are wondering why the Americans built up China into the economic powerhouse it now is when they were the enemy.
Profits for big business clouded their “permanent interests of their country…” mantra!!