Cabinet considering additional names for new GuySuCo Board – Holder

As there continues to be uncertainty over the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Board of Directors, Cabinet is currently looking at some new names.
This was revealed by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, who said on Thursday that Cabinet was still continuing deliberations on the appointment of a Board of Directors for GuySuCo, adding that new names are being looked at.
“We are discussing possible names… I put some names up, they look at it. They say vetting (by) this other person and so on and so forth. So, it’s in the course of being discussed,” the Minister said.
Of recent, there have been reports of an apparent tug-o-war within the coalition over the sugar industry, which is now under the control of a Special Purpose Unit that was created under the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) for the divestment process.
In fact, reports had surfaced about disagreements allegedly between Ministers from the two coalition parties regarding the chairmanship and members of the GuySuCo Board. It was reported early March that Finance Minister Winston Jordan had allegedly proposed for Head of SPU, Colvin Heath-London, to be the Chairman of the new GuySuCo Board after the previous body had expired on February 14. The purported proposal was reportedly not accepted by the other Cabinet members.
However, Minister Jordan had subsequently issued a statement denying making such a suggestion, saying that he was in Jamaica for a Pre-Governors meeting of the Inter-American Development Board (IDB) and thus was not present for the Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, about two weeks later, NICIL published the names of the new Board, naming Heath-London as Chairman while the other members included Fritz McLean, Komal Singh, Verna Adrian, Vishnu Panday, Annette Arjoon, Arianne Mc Lean, Roshan Khan Jr and George Jervis, with two other names to be added to the 11-member body. A full-page ad had detailed that the new Board was approved by Cabinet on February 26, 2018.
However, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had said the same day that there were some issues with regard to the timing of the ad and Cabinet was reviewing the matter.
Addressing the issue, Minister Holder brushed aside reports of an apparent power struggle within the Cabinet, saying his Ministry was constitutionally responsible for the sugar industry.
“The Corporation is totally and solely owned by the Government of Guyana. The Minister of Agriculture answers to Parliament for what happens in GuySuCo. I am accountable to this nation for its activities; therefore, the Minister of Agriculture should have responsibility for GuySuCo. Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture will appoint the Board of GuySuCo,” Holder posited.
Furthermore, the Agriculture Minister went on to outline that NICIL was a creature of the Government and thus carried out instructions from the executive.
“NICIL is a holding company. It holds the shares for GuySuCo; it holds the shares for Guyoil; it holds the shares perhaps for GPL; it’s a holding company. It is not a government and, therefore, it carries out instructions of the Government… Perhaps someone didn’t tell NICIL their role,” Holder noted.