Cummingsburg Accord is now nothing but a sham

Dear Editor,
Every time one watches a press conference from the Granger Administration, one can easily conclude that some Ministers are part of a gang of talentless hicks and political hacks who are clueless as to what it really takes to run the affairs of a nation. If one reflects on the sugar issue as an example, Minister Noel Holder took the decision to shuts down four estates over a 12-month period (in his words “to cut the losses”), only to have Minister Jordan reopen two of them weeks after at an even great cost to the nation? Is this a joke?
But what is even worse is that the largest portfolio in the Agriculture Ministry was ripped from the control of Holder and the Alliance For Change (AFC) poodles in the coalition who were promised the agriculture portfolio under the Cummingsburg Accord and placed firmly in the People’s National Congress (PNC) corner under Winston Jordan’s control. Whatever was the Cummingsburg Accord has now been smashed to smithereens and is now nothing but a sham. This very act hammered the last nail into the political coffin of the AFC; they are finished politically. Their only option now is to become PNC members en-mass, which I am told half of their leaders have already done. So much for the concept of a third party! The whole idea today is nothing but one big charade.
If one considers the obstacle the Granger regime faces on this sugar issue, it now makes absolute sense that the better option all along was to pay the annual G$9 billion transfer from the Consolidated Fund and concomitantly take resolute and firm operational action to reduce the losses incrementally. This could have been achieved by actively eliminating the non-value added cost elements, attacking the rampant corruption in the Guyana Sugar Corporation at the managerial levels, consolidate the business where possible (merging Rose Hall and Albion as an example) and moving up the value chain (into ethanol, alcohol, more packaged sugar, agro-energy and possible refined sugar).
Unfortunately, this course that the Granger regime took will only become more costly as the days go by and will hurt the taxpayers even more than the original path taken under the People’s Progressive Party. Now we are hearing that they need a loan of some G$30 billion just to keep the residual operation afloat over the next four years. What a disaster!
When will President Granger spare the Guyanese people the indignity of listening to the confused positions of his competing Ministers and make a final and definitely pronouncement for the nation? After all, he should have some sort of vision for the sugar industry other than what passes for strategy today where his Government is responsible for the actively destroying of the assets in the sugar belt. I suspect if the President speaks decisively on the issue, he will spare the taxpayers the unending financial exposure and liability from this badly managed sugar issue.

Regards,
Sasenarine Singh