PPP/C’s achievements are keeping Guyana afloat (Pt 1)

Dear Editor,
We are at the end of 2017. It was a very difficult year for most people in Guyana. The complaints that things are tough are coming from all classes and strata in the society. It is a year that the vast majority will remember for the difficulties and hardships which resulted from a corrupt, inept and incompetent regime.
The most outstanding is the heartless and obviously prejudicial decision to begin the process of closing down the sugar industry. Thousands of workers have lost their jobs. This is already having a big impact in the sugar communities. That is expected to spread throughout the country in the new year.
That decision was totally unnecessary and ill-advised. Investing in the restructuring of sugar, bringing more revenue streams into play, would pay very handsome dividends to the country as a whole. Sugar can still make a major contribution to the economy and the welfare of our people.
The loss of income by such a large body of persons is bound to have far-reaching effects on several sectors of the economy. Purchasing power has already fallen sharply, and our earning of foreign currency will be greatly affected; all of which will impact on the whole society. It can have a negative impact on the exchange rate.
However, it is not only the sugar workers that have been damaged by this seemingly uncaring regime.
Earlier, we saw that hundreds of workers in the timber industry were thrown on the breadline. Barama has downgraded its operations sharply. Moreover, the attack on the Chinese businesses has left many small timber operators in the upper reaches of the Berbice and Demerara rivers in serious trouble. Hundreds more were cast onto the breadline. We have also heard of cleaning companies laying off their workers as well, as they were being driven to bankruptcy by the regime not paying for the services.
Indeed, one of the most prevalent complaints is that the regime is not paying its bills to contractors and to suppliers. If they do, they are doing so very late. It is causing big disruption in the operations of many businesses.
Those are the things in the public’s eye. However, hundreds more workers are being driven from their jobs because of the slowdown in business activities.
Many small businesses have had to shut shop. The larger establishments have also experienced a drag in their transactions.
Many have had to lay off workers because of the lack of sales. Others have found more creative ways to keep their workers. They have resorted to cutting the amount of days available for work. Rotating their workforce.

Sincerely,
Donald Ramotar
Former President